title: Coronary vasospasm. Observations linking the clinical spectrum of ischemic heart disease to the dynamic pathology of coronary atherosclerosis.
abstract: Patients with angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden death almost always have demonstrable coronary atherosclerosis. Furthermore, there is mounting evidence that coronary artery "spasm" is a contributing feature of these different coronary ischemic syndromes. Using quantitative angiography and two modes of alpha-adrenergic stimulation in patients with spontaneous most angina, vasomotor hyperreactivity was shown to be localized only to the region of a preexisting coronary atheroma. These observations support the hypothesis that a dynamic interaction between the histopathologic features of coronary atherosclerosis and "normal" amounts of coronary smooth-muscle shortening accounts for the clinical features in the great majority of cases in the spectrum of ischemic heart disease. There are stenosis, each with different therapeutic implications.
mesh_terms: D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000473:pathology*; D000788:Angina Pectoris, Variant / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003645:Death, Sudden; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology