L. Christiaens et al., CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY IN OCTOGENARIANS - THERAPEUTIC IMPACT AND MEDIUM-TERM FOLLOW-UP, Archives des maladies du coeur et des vaisseaux, 91(9), 1998, pp. 1125-1131
In the face of the general aging of the population and technical impro
vements, cardiologists are more commonly faced with the decision of wh
ether to perform coronary angiography in octogenarians who are often i
n good general health. The morbidity and mortality of this investigati
on, its therapeutic impact and medium-term survival were analysed in 1
45 consecutive octogenarians who underwent coronary angiography betwee
n 1988 and 1996. In this study, coronary angiography was performed ess
entially for angina refractory to medical treatment and confirmed the
severity of the lesions with stenosis of the left main stem in 7.6% of
cases and multiple vessel disease in 67.5% of cases. The mortality re
lated to the investigation was nil in this series. Revascularisation w
as feasible clinically and angiographically in 38% of cases (84% by an
gioplasty). The actuarial survival at 3 years was 65% in the group who
underwent revascularisation and in the group treated medically.