The number of patients with occlusive peripheral vascular disease of the lower ex tremities is still growing as rapidly as the number of patients with coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Due to the increase in average life expectancy during the last few decades, more patients now need surgical vascular reconstruc tion. This actually means a demand for more centers specializing in vascular surgery and equipped with intensive care facilities, since the number of patients with cardio vascular and bronchopulmonary complications is increasing as well. In addition, the number of patients needing repeated vascular surgery has been growing. Therefore, the search for simple procedures to recanalize the arterial lumen which could be performed under local anesthesia is no surprise. Unfortunately peripheral vascular disease is still frequently treated by amputations. In 1967, the fIrst report in German on percutaneous recanalization of arteries with thrombotic occlusions and stenoses appeared in Rontgenfortschritte. The meth od described in this report had been published by Dotter and Judkins in 1964. Today, 10 years after their report, more data have been systematically collected on this method in Europe than in the United States, where it was developed. Possibly an explanation of this state of affairs is that nonsurgical treatment is favored more in Europe than in the United States. The scientifIcally based angiology established by Ratschow served as the foun dation for the development of diagnostic work-up and therapy in other directions beyond the questions of operability and surgical results.

1. Introduction

I. Technique
2. Transluminal Angioplasty - Pathologic Basis
3. Transluminal Dilatation With Separate Teflon Catheters
4. Percutaneous Transluminal Recanalization (PTR) With the Double-Lumen Dilatation Catheter
5. Dilatation Technique of Iliac Artery Stenoses With Balloon Catheters
6. Transluminal Vascular Dilatation With a Modified Dilatation Catheter
II. Histologic Experiences
7. Histopathologic Aspects of Transluminal Recanalization
8. Morphologic Alterations After Percutaneous Transluminal Recanalization of Chronic Femoral Atherosclerosis
III. Experimental Studies
9. Transluminal Dilatation of Coronary Artery Stenosis - Experimental Report
10. Percutaneous Transluminal Dilatation (PTD) of Carotid Artery Stenosis
IV. Medical Treatment
11. Drug Treatment Before and After PTR
V. Monitoring Methods
12. Ultrasound Techniques for Follow-Up of Hemodynamic Changes After Transluminal Dilatation or Recanalization
13. Transvenous Xeroarteriography, an Appropriate Method for Angiographic Follow-Up After PTR
VI. Results of PTR
14. Review of the Results of the Dotter Procedure
15. Late Results of Percutaneous Catheter Treatment (Dotter's Technique) in Occlusion of the Femoropopliteal Arteries, Stage II
16. Early and Late Results of PTD in Iliaca Stenosis
17. Cooperative Study of Results of PTR in Twelve Different Clinics
VII. Complications
18. Complications In and After PTR
19. Complications of the Transluminal Angioplasty Excluding the Puncture Site Complications
VIII. Special Indications
20. Transluminal Dilatation of a Stenosis in the Deep Femoral Artery
21. Percutaneous Transluminal Dilatation of Stenosis Behind AV-Fistulas in Hemodialysis Patients
22. PTR in Iliac Vein Thrombosis
IX. PTR inCombination With Other Techniques
23. Percutaneous Transluminal Recanalization Combined With Fibrinolysis
24. Percutaneous Transluminal Recanalization (PTR) and Fibrinolysis: Fibrinolytic Treatment of Femoral Reocclusions Subsequent to PTR Procedures
25. Selective Arterial Clot Lysis With Angiography Catheter
26. Vascular Surgery and Transluminal Dilatation/Recanalization: Complementary Procedures for the Reconstruction of Peripheral Occlusive Diseases
27. Surgical Aspects of Vascular Reconstruction After PTR
28. Intraoperative Transluminal Angioplasty by Dotter's Method
X. Indications
29. Indications for PTR From the Angiologic Point of View
30. Indications for PTR From the Surgical Point of View
XI. Summary
31. Appraisal of the Techniques
32. Appraisal of the Therapy
References to Chapters 5, 11, 15, 18-22, 24, 25, 28-31.