Clinical use of provocative pharmacoangiography in patients with chest pain

Significance of coronary artery tone in patients with vasospastic angina

To investigate the relation between basal coronary artery diameter and development of coronary artery spasm, the diameters of the proximal, middle and distal segments of the three major coronary artery branches, together with that of the left main trunk, were measured on a control angiogram and after ergonovine and nitrate administration in 30 patients with vasospastic angina without significant organic stenosis, and in 35 patients without ischemic heart disease. The percent change in coronary diameter after ergonovine and nitrate administration compared with the control diameter was used as an index of coronary vasoreactivity. In patients with vasospastic angina, coronary artery responses to both ergonovine and nitrate were greater in the spastic segments than in the other segments (p less than 0.05), and those of the coronary arteries without spasm were greater than those of the coronary arteries in patients without ischemic heart disease (p less than 0.01). There were no significant differences between the coronary artery diameters in the two groups after nitrate administration, and the control diameters were less in patients with vasospastic angina than in patients without ischemic heart disease. These observations indicate that a coronary vasomotion disorder, which involves increased basal coronary artery tone and hypersensitivity to vasoconstrictive stimuli, not only at a localized segment but also in the entire coronary artery tree, is present in patients with vasospastic angina. Clinically, evaluation of basal coronary artery tone may be useful for predicting the occurrence and location of coronary artery spasm.

Variant angina in an 11 year old boy

Variant angina is a syndrome in which ischemic cardiac pain occurs with ST segment elevation. The syndrome is due at least in part to coronary vasospasm. Although well documented in adults, there are no known reports of this syndrome in children. The clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings in an 11 year old boy with variant angina are reported.

Provocative ergonovine testing in patients without obstructive coronary disease

Ergonovine administration during coronary angiography is frequently used to rule out coronary spasm as a cause of chest pain. We performed this study to determine which electrocardiographic variables (other than ST segment elevation with pain) and which chest pain characteristics might be predictive of ergonovine test outcome in patients without obstructive coronary disease. Thirty-one patients had an electrocardiogram recorded during chest pain. Three of four patients (75%) who had an ischemic electrocardiogram with pain had a positive ergonovine test while only 1 of 27 (4%) patients who had a nonischemic electrocardiogram during chest pain had a positive ergonovine test (p less than 0.001) Pain that occurred predominantly at rest was present in five of five patients with positive ergonovine tests but pain occurring predominantly at rest was also present in 76% of patients with negative ergonovine tests (85%). Prompt relief of pain with nitroglycerine was also present in all patients with a positive ergonovine test but was also seen in 58% of patients with a negative test (NS). Association of chest pain with nausea, vomiting, diaphoresis, or radiation to left arm, jaw or neck were similarly poor predictors of ergonovine test outcome. We conclude that ergonovine testing in patients without obstructive coronary disease is of low yield if an electrocardiogram recorded during pain does not show evidence of ischemia. Historical features of the chest pain are not good predictors of test outcome.