The use of the Simmons "Sidewinder" catheter in percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the renal arteries.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the renal arteries is a simple procedure that promises to significantly change the patterns of treatment for renovascular hypertension. This paper reports a technique which utilizes the Simmons "sidewinder" catheter for predilatation of a renal artery stenosis or occlusion, and allows subsequent passage of a Grüntzig balloon dilatation catheter in selected difficult cases.