Techniques for the endovascular management of complications following lower limb percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.

Objectives: to determine the incidence of early complications following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and to describe their management and outcome.
Materials: five hundred and fifty consecutive patients undergoing angioplasty of 648 limbs, containing 1053 anatomical segments during a two year period were reviewed retrospectively.
Results: early complications affected 109 segments (10%) in 92 limbs (14%) of 84 patients (15%). Of the 109 segments affected by early complications, 106 (97%) were managed by endovascular techniques with surgery being required on only three (3%) occasions. There were no deaths attributable to angioplasty.
Conclusions: although early complications occur in 14% of limbs undergoing percutaneous transfemoral angioplasty, the majority (97%) can be managed by endovascular techniques.