Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty—1981

Abstract
The original clinical investigators of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) are now into the fourth year of their experience.1-4Since the first PTCA performed by Grüntzig and co-workers1in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1977, more than 3,500 of these procedures have been attempted in Europe and in the Western hemisphere. As with most new therapies, the question properly arises: When does such a technique safely move from the investigative stage to responsible clinical practice? Grüntzig, Myler, and Stertzer are now able to show an approximate 85% sustained patency rate in a series of single-vessel cases of PTCA followed up for 36 months.5Moreover, many patients are pain free, have normal results from a thallous chloride Tl 201 scan during exercise, and have normal angiograms 40 months after PTCA. It also seems that the majority of single-vessel recurrences after PTCA are readily and safely disposed to successful second dilation,

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