Two-year follow-up of angina pectoris: medical or surgical therapy.

The effects of bypass graft surgery versus continued medical management in 40 patients with stable angina were evaluated at 2 years: 17 of 20 surgical patients (85%) and 18 of 20 medical patients (90%) were alive, and 5 of 20 surgical patients (25%) and 2 of 20 medical patients (10%) had developed myocardial infarction; 8 of 17 surgical patients (47%) and 4 of 18 medical patients (22%) had no angina, and 13 of 17 surgical patients (76%) and 9 of 18 medical patients (50%) had no angina or greater than 25% increase in exercise time until angina. No statistically significant differences were demonstrated between the medical and surgical groups for all variables submitted to statistical analysis.