[Experiences with transluminal angioplasty in critical coronary artery stenosis (author's transl)]

In this study the first results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (TAP) at the university hospital of Graz, Department of internal Medicine, are presented. Out of 19 attempts in 18 patients (one with two vessel-disease) 15 were angiographically successful (79%). In three cases the stenosis could not be passed, in one patient with previous non transmural anterior infarction the vessel was nearly occluded after the procedure. Serum CK-levels of this patient increased up to the fourfold on the following day; however, no clinical or electrocardiographic features or reinfarction occurred. In the majority of patients the dilatation of the obstruction was accompanied by a diminuation of the gradient across the stenosis and followed by a significant clinical improvement, increase in exercise tolerance (64% of cases) and the degree of 201Tl-redistribution as a sign of disappearance of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia was normalized in 6 of 8 patients (75%). No serious complications were noted in this group of patients.