ABSTRACT
Introduction Since the introduction of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) by Andreas Grüntzig in 1977, tremendous progress has been made in the technique, in understanding its mechanisms, and in its applications. The use of angioplasty has been expanded to include patients with unstable angina, myocardial infarction (MI), multivessel coronary artery disease and complex lesions. Despite the high rate of initial procedural success and marked reduction in acute complications, such as hospital deaths, MIs and emergency bypass surgery, the major limitation of angioplasty remains the high incidence of restenosis. Although the introduction of stents has brought some reduction in the rate of restenosis, in-stent restenosis often occurs after the procedure.
