Combined thrombolytic therapy and coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

From September, 1983, to August, 1984, combined thrombolytic therapy and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was used to treat 22 cases of acute myocardial infarction. Initial coronary angiograms showed total obstruction in 13 and severe stenosis in 9. Intracoronary infusion of urokinase reopened 7 of 13 totally occluded lesions but left a residual severe stenosis. Coronary angioplasty opened all of the remaining totally obstructed lesions and decreased the stenosis in 14 of 16 stenosed lesions. These procedures were performed 0.5 to 24 hours after the onset of chest pain. Lesions were not successfully dilated in two patients, because of arterial dissection in one and rethrombus formation in the other. One patient died from progressive hypotension beginning during the procedure, despite technically successful coronary angioplasty. Eighteen of the 20 successfully dilated lesions were patent at repeat angiography performed 1 to 3 weeks later. One successfully dilated lesion occluded 8 days after the procedure and was redilated by a larger sized balloon.