CLINICAL AND ANGIOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF INITIAL PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY SUCCESS

Clinical and anatomic determinants of primary success of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty were retrospectively evaluated in 29 9 patients. Successful angioplasty (residual stenosis < 50%) was achie ved in 350 (94%) of 373 lesions. The success rate in patients chronica lly treated with aspirin was higher than that of patients not treated with aspirin (95% versus 86%, P < 0.03). An additional finding was tha t the success rate in patients referred for coronary angioplasty becau se of acute myocardial infarction or postinfarction angina was lower t han that of those without these characteristics (89% versus 96%, P < 0 .01). No other clinical features studied influenced the outcome of cor onary angioplasty. The angiographic characteristics of the lesions did not differ between patients with successful or failed angioplasty exc ept for the degree of stenosis prior to the procedure, being lower in patients with successful procedure (92.4 +/- 7.6% versus 97.3 +/- 3.1% ), P < 0.002). Thus coronary angioplasty can be performed with a high rate of success. Long-term pretreatment with aspirin may have a benefi cial effect.