Coronary angioplasty. A procedure that has 'come of age'

Until recently, coronary bypass surgery was the only method of revascularization therapy available for patients with coronary artery disease. Now, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), introduced in 1977, has been refined to the degree that it offers a better alternative in selected patients. Primary success rates of more than 90% can be achieved, and emergency bypass surgery can be avoided in all but 3% to 10% of patients and Q-wave infarction in all but 1% to 4%. Because of the availability of PTCA, efforts should be made to identify coronary artery disease early, when patients are most likely to qualify for this procedure.