Angioplasty for stable versus unstable angina pectoris: are unstable patients more likely to get restenosis? A quantitative angiographic study in 339 consecutive patients.

Current evidence with regard to the possible association between clinical expression of coronary disease prior to the time of angioplasty, and the subsequent risk of restenosis following successful dilatation, remains inconclusive. To prospectively compare the incidence of restenosis in stable versus unstable angina pectoris patients, follow-up angiography was performed in 85 percent of patients from a consecutive series with a successful PTCA, irrespective of presence or absence of recurrent ischemic symptoms. Furthermore, changes in lesion severity were assessed quantitatively by an automated edge-detection technique rather than visual analysis. Employing such a study design and follow-up protocol, it was found that the incidence of restenosis in patients with stable coronary artery disease was similar to that of patients with unstable rest angina, irrespective of the type of angiographic definition used.