PROGRESSION AND REGRESSION OF CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE - LINKAGE OF CLINICAL, PATHOLOGICAL, AND ANGIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS

Progression and regression of coronary artery disease are analyzed wit h respect to clinical, pathologic, and angiographic findings. Clinical ly, progression of coronary artery disease is a highly unpredictable p rocess. The pattern of progression is not linear in time but sometimes is rapid and other times is slow The atherosclerotic lesion is not pa thologically homogeneous. Regression therapies, therefore, might be ef fective depending on the composition of the lesion and the phase of at herosclerotic evolution. True clinical regression should be concordant with the clinical improvement of symptoms as well as prognosis. Furth er studies are required to establish the effectiveness of therapy for the prevention of progressive coronary artery disease.