Three patients with the primary Budd-Chiari syndrome were treated by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Results showed an apparent poor response to angioplasty of irregular stenoses of the suprahepatic vessels and a good response when stenosis was due to membrane, but recurrence of the latter lesion after several months. The transient efficacy of this procedure in cases with a suprahepatic or caval membrane suggests that it be used pre-operatively for this indication.