Light and electron microscopic study of pathomorphological changes on the arterial wall after transluminal angioplasty.

The vascular complications arising after the percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the arteriosclerotic stenosis in the right superficial femoral artery of a 70-year old female patient six days prior to her death were studied by means of light microscopy and with the transmission and scanning electron microscopes. The pictures revealed disruption in the vascular wall of the superficial femoral artery, fresh thrombus in the dissecting aneurysm of arteriosclerotic origin in the distal part of the posterior tibial artery and haemorrhage in the media. A connection is suggested between these findings and the angioplastic intervention. To the best of the authors' knowledge this was the first time that in vivo developed vascular changes after PTA were studied by means of light microscopy and with the transmission and scanning electron microscopes.