[Comparison of early clinical results of contact laser thermal angioplasty with a metal hot tip with balloon angioplasty].

Contact laser thermal angioplasty with a metal hot tip heated by an Argon laser system (Trimedyne Inc.) was performed on 34 peripheral arterial occlusive or stenotic regions (7 iliac, 20 femoral and 7 popliteal arteries) in 22 patients with ASO. The early clinical results of laser angioplasty were investigated by comparing those of 15 patients treated by percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty (PTA). There was no perforation of the arterial wall caused by thermal ablation with the hot tip heated by repeated pulses under power conditions of 10 watts of laser energy for 5 seconds. Detachment of the hot tip caused by frequent healing without a sufficient period of tip cooling was observed in 2 cases. Acute thrombosis was observed in 1 patient during reconstruction of the proximal artery. The initial success rate of laser angioplasty and PTA was 91.2% and 86.7%, respectively. Re-stenosis or occlusion was observed in 7 of 31 regions 6 months after laser angioplasty. Satisfactory results were not obtained in the femoral artery. The overall patency rate of laser angioplasty and PTA was 77.4% and 69.2%, respectively. The initial success rate of laser angioplasty in totally obstructed arterial regions was higher than that of PTA.