6533b826fe1ef96bd1283be8

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Coronary Angioplasty in Unstable Angina

subject

description

When Gruntzig introduced the revolutionary method of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) for the treatment of coronary artery stenoses, he initially devoted this technique only to patients with stable angina pectoris [8]. Very soon, however, it was discovered simultaneously by Williams et al. [19] and by our group [12] that this method can also be used in patients with unstable angina pectoris. The earliest experiences with PTCA in 1980 were published by our two groups (Table 1). In these series the average degree of stenosis was somewhat lower than that today, while the residual stenosis after treatment was slightly higher. The very rough balloons and guiding catheters available in those days and the inability to move the guide at the top of the catheter were responsible for the low success rates. Both groups, however, were able to demonstrate that the PTCA technique can be applied to patients with unstable angina pectoris with a remarkably low complication rate. Further results also by other groups have since confirmed the indication and contributed to further success [2, 6, 13, 15, 16].