SPONTANEOUS REGRESSION OF THE RESIDUAL STENOSIS OF THE INFARCT VESSEL AFTER SUCCESSFUL PERCUTANEOUS TRANS-LUMINAL CORONARY RECANALIZATION (PTCR)

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 73  (10) , 634-640
Abstract
In 64 out of 90 patients with thrombolysis by intracoronary streptokinase (PTCR) in the acute stage of myocardial infarction coronary angiography was performed in the chronic stage after 28 .+-. 20 days. Of 56 successfully treated patients, 52 had a patent infarct vessel in the chronic stage. Of these patients, 36 showed a spontaneous regression from the subacute to the chronic stage. In 49 of the 56 patients (age: 53.4 .+-. 10.4 yr) a residual stenosis of > 75% after PTCR was found; in the chronic stage only 31 patients had a stenosis of > 75%. Of 10 patients with a spontaneous regression of 25% or more (age: 48.0 .+-. 14.9 yr) 8 had a 1-vessel disease. The infarct vessel was in 6 patients the left anterior descending, in 4 patients the right coronary artery and in no case the left circumflex branch. The indication for invasive interventions, such as acute coronary angioplasty or bypass surgery, evidently does not only depend on the degree of the residual stenosis directly after reperfusion. If possible, the decision for further invasive treatment should depend on the clinical follow-up.