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In 1964, Dotter and Judkins introduced therapeutic percutaneous angioplasty of atherosclerotic peripheral plaques, a technique that used multiple coaxial catheters of various sizes to dilate the stenosis. In the mid-1970s, Andreas Gruentzig, at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, developed a double-lumen balloon catheter—used to dilate lesions in the iliac and femoral arteries safely and with a high rate of procedural success. The modern era of cardiovascular interventions had begun. Miniaturization of Gruentzig's balloon catheters system led to the first percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in 1977 in Zurich, performed by Gruentzig. Since the initial percutaneous interventions, there has been explosive growth in the field of interventional transcatheter therapeutics. This expansion has been fueled by the introduction of an array of new devices, adjuvant pharmacologic therapies, and novel imaging and physiologic measurement catheters designed to overcome some of the limitations of balloon angioplasty. Devices and techniques for lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) are balloon angioplasty, rotational atherectomy, stents, rheolytic thrombectomy, and distal embolic protection devices. Table 1 lists their indications, potential advantages, limitations, and complications. See Fig. 1 for angiography examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]