Early Clinical Experience with Direct Argon Laser Angioplasty in Peripheral Arteries

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has been a major advance in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease. However, three limitations have become evident: (1) difficulty in traversing total obstructions; (2) risk of intimal dissection and subsequent closure of the artery; and (3) a relatively high rate of restenosis, ranging from 25% to 50% in the superficial femoral artery [1–5].