[Regional differences in the use of coronary angiography in the examination of heart patients].

We monitored, for a period of 26 months, the use of coronary angiography at a catheterisation laboratory serving a Norwegian county with two distinct geographical regions, each with one referring hospital. Catheterisation was used twice as often in the one region as in the other. The patients from both regions belonged to the same angina function class at referral, and there was no significant difference in the findings at angiography or the need for coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting. The incidence of coronary artery disease and the availability of coronary angiography was also the same in the two regions. The main reasons for the different rates of use are a more liberal referral policy in the high rate region, and less access to specialists in the low rate region.