title: Prognostic importance of collateral flow and residual coronary stenosis of the myocardial infarct artery after anterior wall Q-wave acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: Residual high-grade coronary stenosis and collateral flow are frequent findings in the chronic phase after a Q-wave acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The prognostic importance of a residual stenosis of the infarct artery and of collateral flow to the infarct area was analyzed in a group of 102 young patients (mean age 35 years, range 22 to 39) who had survived an anterior wall Q-wave AMI. Patients whose only significant lesion (greater than 50% luminal diameter reduction) was in the proximal portion of the left anterior descending artery were enrolled in the study. A 50 to 74% diameter stenosis was present in 33 of 102 patients (32%), 43 (42%) had a 75 to 99% stenosis and 26% had a total occlusion of the infarct vessel. Collateral vessels, which were evaluated by a scoring system, were present in 52 of 102 patients (51%). Four percent had only faint (score 1), 17 of 102 patients (17%) had moderate and 32 patients (31%) had good collateral flow (score greater than 4). The 8-year cumulative mortality was 15.2%--an eightfold increase compared with the age-matched general population. No patient with less than 75% stenosis died during follow-up, whereas the cumulative 8-year mortality was 23 and 17% in patients with a 75 to 99% stenosis or total occlusion, respectively (p less than 0.01). Patients with at least moderate collateral flow had a mortality rate of 21%, versus 8% for patients without or with faint collateral flow (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitationszentrum für Herz- und Kreislaufkranke, Bad Krozingen, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gohlke
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heim
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roskamm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000792:Angiography; D003097:Collateral Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors