Effect of calcium antagonists in variant or Prinzmetal angina

Variant angina, first described by Prinzmetal in 1959, is a syndrome of recurrent ischemic-type chest pain that occurs at rest and is associated with ST segment elevation. The syndrome has been convincingly demonstrated to be caused by temporary occlusion at a site of local spasm. The objectives of this article are to review treatment of the patient with variant angina and to address the important role of calcium antagonists.