Interventional vascular radiology

Treatment of atherosclerotic occlusive arterial disease by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty has become increasingly common since the introduction of the inflatable balloon catheter in 1974. In 1964, it was first reported that atherosclerotic disease of a lower-extremity vessel could be modified by passing an angiographic catheter through a stenosis. The method, however, initially received little attention in the United States. This was not the case in Europe, where a number of investigators at several institutions performed the procedure on a significant number of patients. This early experience allowed for: refinement in techniques, initial indications, understanding the use of adjunctive medical management, and ultimately improved instrumentation