Histopathologic coronary patterns in people with acute myocardial infarction and PTCA.

We studied coronary artery specimens histologically in 96 patients who died from acute myocardial infarction(AMI), to assess those who could benefit from in-hospital percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). For the left anterior descending artery, old stenoses within 1 cm from its origin in 80 cases (83.3%), coronary narrowing over 90% and occlusive thrombi in 40 observations (41.6%) were seen. Left main artery showed proximal stenoses with an occlusive thrombus in 4 cases (41.6%). Left circumflex artery had stenoses within 1 cm from its origin in 32 cases (33.3%), with an occlusive thrombus 6 times (6.25%) and coronary narrowing 75%. Right coronary artery showed stenoses in the proximal and midportion respectively in 20 (20.8%) and 36 cases (37.5%), with 26 occlusive thrombi (27%) and coronary narrowing 85%. Four cases (4.16%) had minimal coronary changes. The patients who had one, two and three vessel disease were 32 (33.3%), 32 (33.3%) and 28 times (29.16%) respectively. Only one-third of patients could benefit from PTCA.