Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of distal lesions: comparison of results with proximal lesions.

The results of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of 57 distal lesions were compared with 55 proximal lesions in 42 patients, aged 31 to 66 years (mean +/- SD: 51 +/- 9 yrs). Twenty nine (69%) had multivessel and 13 (31%) single vessel disease. The lesions classified as distal were located in left anterior descending (LAD) artery beyond the origin of second diagonal (D2), left circumflex (LCx) after the main obtuse marginal (OM) and right coronary artery (RCA) after the origin of acute marginal branch. Also included in this category were lesions in the second diagonal and obtuse marginal branches, two centimeters from their origin and stenosis in the posterior descending and posterolateral left ventricular branches of RCA. Out of 57 distal lesions 18 were 'complex' because of tandem location (5 patients), ulceration (6 lesions) and intraluminal thrombi (2 lesions). There was no significant difference in the mean luminal diameter stenosis between distal and proximal lesions, before and after PTCA. The primary success rate of angioplasty was 89.5% for the distal and 94.5% for the proximal lesions (P = NS). Inability to position the balloon across the lesion accounted for more failures in distal (3) compared to proximal (1) location. There were no major complications. Our results show that PTCA of distal lesions can be performed with a high rate of success, which is comparable to those with classical proximal lesions in the same patients.