The place of balanced treatment in the framework of percutaneous intraluminal angioplasty (lower limbs)

: Complications due to intraluminal angioplasty result from the poor choice of the indication for the procedure or from technical accidents, or more usually from both. The thromboses and arterial perforations observed are nearly always treated by surgery, but are still scarce events, and the incidence of all complications is still much lower than after reconstructive surgery. Though a valid procedure, intraluminal angioplasty requires the collaboration, if not the presence, of a vascular surgeon for any emergency that might arise. This is probably the reason why publications place little emphasis on complementary associated medical treatment: mainly preventive therapy particularly of thromboses. A reasonable attitude should be adopted between symbolic and illusory treatments (anti-aggregants or compounds suggested as being so) and aggressive inherently dangerous therapy (uncontrolled empirical administration of Heparin). Lack of personal experience and the paucity of well-documented data restricts more detailed comments and limits remarks to suggestions for avoiding, firstly, the complications. . . of medical treatments.