[Treatment of first restenosis by recurrent angioplasty. Immediate results and angiographic follow-up after 6 months].

This report summarises the authors' experience of 421 patients treated for a first restenosis by repeat conventional balloon angioplasty with a high 6 months angiographic follow-up (84%). The immediate results were significantly less than those obtained during the same period with initial angioplasty procedures (94.5% success and 0.9% complications without any deaths during the hospital period). The 39.9% recurrent restenosis rate, on the other hand, is the same as observed after a first procedure. The risk factors of a second restenosis seem to be different from those of a first restenosis. A shorter interval between the first and second angioplasty (< 3 months) was associated with a 55% risk of restenosis compared with only 36% when the interval was > 3 months. Two operative factors were associated with a high risk of recurrent restenosis: a maximum inflation pressure > 7 atm and > or = 3 balloon inflations. These results seem to be important and should be taken into consideration when deciding on the management of patients presenting with a first restenosis.