Guidelines for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. A report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Task Force on Assessment of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Cardiovascular Procedures (Committee on Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty)

"The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Assessment of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Cardiovascular Procedures was formed to gather information and make recommendations about appropriate use of technology in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease. Coronary angioplasty is one such important technique. We are currently witnessing an extraordinary expansion of the use of coronary angioplasty as an alternative means of achieving myocardial revascularization. An estimated 300 000 angioplasty procedures were performed in the United States in 1990, a more than tenfold increase over the past decade.1 Such growth is attributable not only to demonstrated clinical benefit but also to continuing technical advances that have led to improved techniques and higher success rates over time. There was some concomitant broadening of the indications for both coronary angiography and angioplasty, which led the task force to promulgate guidelines for coronary angiography in 19872 and guidelines for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 1988.3 In view of the continuing advances and expanding role of interventional cardiology in clinical practice today, it was recommended that this committee review current indications and procedures governing the performance of angioplasty in the United States and determine whether any alterations in the previously published guidelines are warranted. Such a review was anticipated and recommended in the original committee report.3 This document presents the summary opinion of the reconvened committee with its newly constituted membership.