Pinto I M, Sousa A G, Feres F, Tanajura L F, Mattos L A, Cano M N, Maldonado G, Fontes V F, Sousa J E
Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia, São Paulo.
Arq Bras Cardiol. 1992 Oct;59(4):255-9.
To analyse the actual contribution of digital angiography in the angioplasty setting and to assess its utility to optimize angioplasty results.
One hundred patients with single vessel coronary artery disease, without previous angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft surgery, who underwent angioplasty from January to December 1990. Views were obtained in standard films and also in digitized angiograms. The latter was acquired before angioplasty in order to precisely quantify the stenosis and also to measure the reference diameter of the artery that was used and to choose the balloon catheter for each case. New acquisitions were done during and after the end of the procedure to confirm the residual stenosis and to measure the final diameter.
The mean stenosis pre angioplasty was 78.2%, the mean reference diameter 2.8 mm and the mean diameter at the stenotic site 0.8 mm. The balloon artery relation was 0.9:1. After angioplasty the residual stenosis was 13.6% and the dilated segment had a final diameter of 2.6 mm. There were no complications in any patient.
Digital angiography is a useful method for laboratories devoted to coronary interventions for it allows confirmation of the severity of the stenosis, optimizes the balloon/artery relation, monitors partial results and measures the residual stenosis as well as the final diameter.
