[Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in atheromatous stenosis of the proximal supra-aortic trunks: the brachiocephalic trunk and the subclavian artery].

The authors are reporting their experience about percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in atheromatous stenosis of proximal supra-aortic arteries. In this series of 17 patients, with a 6-month follow-up, vertigos were the main clinical symptoms (8 cases), and it must be pointed out that 5 of these 8 patients also underwent a proximal angioplasty of one or the two of their vertebral arteries at the same time. Three subclavian steal-syndromes, one arterial insufficiency of an upper limb, one transient cerebral ischaemia, and four asymptomatic cases were also treated by the same procedure. For diagnosis as well as for follow-up, the authors are emphasizing the value of hemodynamic results of Doppler recording. As for the technics itself, it mainly derives from the PTA of the lower limbs arteries. The results in this series appear to be good from an hemodynamic point of view, with neither morbidity nor mortality.