The importance of excluding coronary artery vasospasm before percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. A case report.

It is important to exclude coronary vasospasm, the mechanism responsible for so-called 'dynamic' coronary stenosis, when selecting of patients for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Although cine angiographic demonstration of this frequently fleeting entity can sometimes be difficult, a strong suspicion should be aroused by a carefully taken history. The danger of PTCA in these cases of Prinzmetal's variant angina, as well as the frustration often encountered in drug management, is high-lighted.