Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) has been employed in 70 renal arteries utilizing the balloon angioplasty technique described by Grüntzig for peripheral vessels. The procedure has been employed both in patients with normal renal function and in selected patients with decreased renal function The complication rate has been low (5.7%), and no patient has required operative intervention as a result of a complication sustained during PTRA. The early results of PTRA compare favorably to those achieved through operative revascularization. An assessment of the duration of PTRA's effects must however, await the results of long-term follow-up.