Certain Clinical Characteristics Correlated with Extent of Obstructive Lesions Demonstrated by Selective Cine-Coronary Arteriography

Abstract

The duration of the history of angina pectoris, the distribution of the pain, the factors precipitating the pain, and serum cholesterol levels in the men less than the age of 40 years were studied in a group of 337 patients who had angina pectoris. Also the number of obstructed coronary arteries in 588 patients with severe obstruction in a larger study group of which the 337 patients were a part was compared with the number in men less than 40 years of age with severe lesions. The distribution of coronary arterial obstructions shown by selective cine-coronary arteriography was determined in relation to the clinical characteristics mentioned, and they were found to be of little predictive value. In most patients who had congestive heart failure occurring in the absence of recognized complications, multiple severe arterial obstructions were found. Division of patients who have anginal syndrome into groups on the basis of duration of history cannot clarify the natural history of symptomatic obstructive coronary arterial disease.