[Percutaneous transluminal dilation by catheter of coronary - artery stenosis (author's transl)].
Since September 1977 until July 1979, 82 patients with various coronary lesions have undergone percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). By this technic, a catheter system is introduced through a systemic artery under local anesthesia to dilate a stenotic artery by controlled inflation. In 60 patients (73%) anatomical and hemodynamic success could be noted, which led to improvement in clinical parameters e.g. reduction of coronary narrowing of the transluminal diameter from a mean of 82 +/- 11% to 34 +/- 16% (p less than 0.001) and reduction of trans-stenotic coronary gradient from 56 +/- 15 to 19 +/- 12 mmHg (p less than 0.001). Nine patients, three of whom had signs of transmural myocardial infarction on the ECG had undergone emergency surgery for a coronary by-pass, this been due to the deterioration of clinical condition after the attempt to carry out coronary angioplasty. 42 out of 60 treated patients had at least one late control. 33 showed an improvement in cardiac efficiency campared with the pre-dilatation period. Patients with uncalcified single-vessel stenosis, less than 1 cm in length and a short history of pain appear to be most suitable for the procedure. More cases and follow-up datas are necessary to evaluate the efficiency of this new technic as compared with current medical and surgical treatments of ischemic heart disease.