Structural constriction of the artery wall contributes to stenosis severity in unstable angina.
Eight consecutive patients with unstable angina underwent intravascular ultrasound imaging of the culprit artery with measurements recorded at the stenosis and at an adjacent reference site. In all patients, total artery cross-sectional area was smaller at the stenosis site than at the reference site, indicating that a structural change in the artery wall due to a constrictive process appears to contribute to the worsening of stenosis severity associated with unstable angina.
Stadius
M L
ML
VA Puget Sound Health Care System and Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Lehmann
K G
KG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index