Transient ST segment elevation occurring without anginal pain. Correlations with Prinzmetal's angina.

Two cases presenting with episodes of marked ST segment elevation occurring with, but most often without, anginal pain are reported. The changes were recorded through continuous ECG monitoring during Prinzmetal's angina and in the course of myocardial infarction. Such transient asymptomatic ECG abnormalities reveal silent acute myocardial ischemia and are often unrecognized. However, they may lead to severe arrhythmias or myocardial infarction, and sudden deaths occurring in the course of ischemic heart disease are likely to be explained on this basis. Transient episodes of silent ST segment elevation similar to those occurring in Prinztal's angina have been reported in various circumstances. They bring into discussion the delimitations of variant angina pectoris.