Balloon Dilation of the Abdominal Aorta

Abstract

PERCUTANEOUS transluminal angioplasty was developed by Dotter and Judkins¹in 1964 for the treatment of atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease. Grüntzig and Hopff²revolutionized the technique when they developed the flexible balloon catheter. This versatility permitted successful dilation of the branches of the aorta, including the renal¹and coronary⁴arteries. The present report describes the successful transluminal dilation of a lesion in the distal abdominal aorta. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> A 47-year-old woman was referred to the University of Virginia Medical Center with bilateral hip and lower extremity claudication. Over the past four months she had experienced progressive pain while walking. At the time of admission she described pain after walking a distance of only one block. Physical examination showed a bruit in the upper abdomen. Bruits were also heard over the iliac and femoral vessels bilaterally. The right femoral pulse was 2+, and the left femoral pulse