Investigators widen inquiry into percutaneous angioplasty application

Questions and answers continue to fly regarding the use of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA).One recent occasion was a session at the meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Chicago. Since, as Ronald E. Vlietstra, MB, ChB, noted, "most patients with symptomatic coronary disease have stenosis in more than one vessel," the question of treating multivessel disease arose. Vlietstra said that in an ongoing study (the first report of which appeared in Mayo Clinic Proceedings [1983;58:563-567]), his research group at the Mayo Clinic is examining the effectiveness—in terms of both success and safety—of PTCA for this purpose.Vlietstra, an associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Medical School, defined multivessel disease as 70% or greater stenosis in at least one major epicardial vessel, as well as 50% or greater stenosis in at least one other major vessel. Single vessel disease is defined by the first condition alone.