Coronary and peripheral arterial responses to ergometrine in patients susceptible to coronary and oesophageal spasm.

Abstract

Vascular responses to ergometrine were compared in groups of patients subject to coronary artery spasm, esophageal spasm or neither. The degree of diffuse narrowing at different coronary artery sites (not in spasm) and the rise in blood pressure was measured. The data provide no evidence for a generalized sensitivity to .alpha.-adrenergic stimulation underlying either of these 2 clinical entities. The left main stem was narrowed significantly less than the 3 main branches of the coronary artery tree. The degree of diffuse coronary artery narrowing was not influenced by the presence or absence of minor (.ltoreq. 50%) fixed stenotic lesions, nor by the initial caliber of the arteries. Ergometrine did not alter arterial lactate concentration or lactate extraction in the absence of coronary spasm.