Immediate and late results of transluminal coronary angioplasty in patients with unstable angina

Background: Unstable angina is characterized by angina at rest, angina of r ecent onset or accelerating angina. It is caused by a fissure or ulceration of an atheromatous plaque leading to thrombi formation and coronary spasm. Aim: To report the immediate and late results of coronary angioplasty in p atients with unstable angina. Patients and Methods: Eight hundred twenty ei ght patients were subjected to a coronary arteriography between January 199 4 and June 1996. Of these, 242 were subjected to a transluminal coronary an gioplasty, 245 patients were subjected to surgical revascularization and 34 1 patients treated without revascularisation. Results: A total of 323 steno tic lesions (1.3 lesions per patient) were subjected to angioplasty. Angiog raphic success was obtained in 93% of patients. Angiographic success and la ck of major complications such as death, infarction of the need for surgery , was obtained in 90% of patients. Five patients (2.1%) had a non fatal inf arction and five required emergency surgery. Hospital mortality was 1.2%. D uring the year of follow up, 15% required a ner revascularization, 3.3% had a non fatal infarction and 3.3% died. Conclusions: Coronary angioplasty ha d a 90% immediate success and 78% of patients were free of ischemic events after one year of follow up.