B-type natriuretic peptide and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide - Diagnostic role in stable coronary artery disease.

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its N-terminal fragment (NT-proBNP) are released from ventricular cardiomyocytes in response to an increase in ventricular wall stress and to myocardial ischemia. Both BNP and NT-proBNP have proven to be reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in patients with heart failure. Recently, the diagnostic roles of BNP and NT-proBNP in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have been investigated. For patients with acute coronary syndromes, data have been derived from a great number of studies, whereas in patients with stable CAD, only a limited amount of recent data is available; although limited, these data show that elevations in BNP and NT-proBNP levels are associated with the extent of CAD, thus providing prognostic information for an unfavourable clinical outcome. However, clinical and therapeutic implications are indistinct and need to be elucidated in further studies.