Evaluation of overall fibrinolytic activity in patients with coronary artery ectasia: global fibrinolytic capacity.
OBJECTIVE
Since the role of fibrinolytic activity is unclear in coronary artery ectasia, we investigated the entire fibrinolytic activity by a new test, global fibrinolytic capacity (GFC) in the ectasia patients.


RESULTS
Thirty-four ectasia patients (18 male, mean age: 58 +/- 8 years) presenting with acute coronary syndrome and 25 controls (14 male, mean age: 56 +/- 9 years) with normal coronary artery were evaluated. GFC, D-dimer and other hemostatic factors were assessed. Clinical characteristics were comparable in both groups. Serum GFC (4.6 +/- 2.1 vs. 3.1 +/- 2.1 microg/ml, p = 0.03) and D-dimer levels (0.69 +/- 0.42 vs. 0.41 +/- 0.38 ng/ml, p = 0.02, respectively) were significantly higher in ectasia patients than in controls. They were also higher in subgroup of patients with myocardial infarction (four patients) compared with other ectasia patients and controls (p = 0.04, 0.01, respectively). Other hemostatic factors were not different in both groups. GFC was correlated with D-dimer (r = 0.76, p = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that fibrinolytic system activation may develop in ectasia patients with acute coronary syndrome. It can be induced by thrombus formation in ectatic segment of coronary artery.
Dogan
Abdullah
A
Department of Cardiology, Suleyman Demirel University, Medical School, Isparta, Turkey. adogan35@hotmail.com
Tunc
Bahattin
B
Ergene
Oktay
O
Ozaydin
Mehmet
M
Nazli
Cem
C
Altinbas
Ahmet
A
Gedikli
Omer
O
D001780:Blood Coagulation Tests; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003323:Coronary Aneurysm / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis; D005342:Fibrinolysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D