DECREASED EPICARDIAL CORONARY-ARTERY TONE IN PATIENTS WITH DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY

The tone of coronary artery (CA) was evaluated in 26 patients with dil ated cardiomyopathy (DCMP) and 20 patients with a typical chest pain, intact CA, and normal left ventricular contractility served as control s. All the patients underwent selective polyviewed coronarography, lef t and right ventriculography. The configurations of the great CA were examined by a computer which calculated their mean diameter in diastol e (Dd) and systole (Ds), their difference (d) and the elasticity index (EI) by the formula: d/Dsx100%. Twelve patients with DCMP and 10 cont rol patients had repeated left coronary contrasting after intracoronar y injection of nitroglycerin, 150 mg, they authors calculated the base line Dd (Dd1), Dd after nitroglycerin (Dd2), the degree of nitroglycer in-induced CA dilation. Ds was found to be greater that Dd in the two groups. The mean CA diameter was significantly more in DCMP patients w ho had lower D and EI. Intracoronary nitroglycerin injection caused a less marked increase ion the Dd of the anterior discendending CA in DC MP patients. Thus, the computer-aided analysis of coronarograms and ni troglycerin test allowed one to quantitatively determined the decrease s in CA in DCMP.