Contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention--30 years in the making

Angioplasty has come a long way in 30 years. It is now the dominant therapy for obstructive coronary disease and becoming so for acute myocardial infarction and for the majority of patients it is a simple, quick procedure with same- or next-day discharge with negligible morbidity. Many of the developments have been led by pioneers conducting independent large randomised trials, but there are issues still to resolve and there are new exciting developments such as bioabsorbable stents and stereotaxis in the wings. Many have a lot to be grateful for when we reflect on the insights and pioneering work of Andreas Gruntzig.