[Late post-infarction angina]

The authors survey the clinical features and therapeutic results of 88 patients suffering from late postinfarctional angina. The results of the bicycle ergometer ECG tests were negative only in the case of 8 patients. Exercise-induced silent myocardial ischaemia was registered in 45.4%. Coronary angiography revealed that 54 (61%) of the patients suffered from multivessel disease. Coronary bypass surgery was carried out in 56.8% and the rate of peripheral anastomoses was 3.1/patient. The authors consider it to be essential to detect the ischaemia in the infarct survivors with chest pain. Taking into consideration the clinical feature and the results of exercise tests, the authors propose cardiac catheterization. Myocardial revascularization is recommended if the medical therapy is not successful or the patients suffered from left main, triple-vessels disease and the myocardium is jeopardized to a large extend.