title: Evaluation of overall fibrinolytic activity in patients with coronary artery ectasia: global fibrinolytic capacity.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Suleyman Demirel University, Medical School, Isparta, Turkey. adogan35@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.forename: Bahattin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tunc
authors.forename: Oktay
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ergene
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozaydin
authors.forename: Cem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nazli
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Altinbas
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gedikli
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D