[10-year outcome of patients with isolated anterior interventricular stenosis technically accessible to coronary angioplasty].

Between April 1972 and March 1976, 70 patients were found to have an isolated stenosis of the left anterior descending artery at coronary angiography which could have been treated by coronary angioplasty, had the technique been available at that time. A questionnaire was sent to these patients and 65 (93 p. 100) replies were received 9 to 13 years after initial coronary angiography. They provided information about 61 men and 4 women with an average age of 48.1 +/- 8.4 years. Thirty eight patients had undergone surgery and 27 were treated medically, each group having distinct clinical characteristics. The 10 year survival rate was excellent (91 p. 100) and was high in both groups. The quality of life was good: 56 p. 100 claimed to be in good or very good health and 67 p. 100 were improved with respect to their functional state at the time of coronary angiography; only one quarter of these patients had been readmitted to hospital for cardiac problems during the follow up period, and 76 p. 100 of patients in work before the coronary angiography had returned to work. This date illustrates the excellent results of classical medical and surgical management of potential candidates for coronary angioplasty for isolated left anterior descending artery stenosis.