Sudden coronary death: relation of amount and distribution of coronary narrowing at necropsy to previous symptoms of myocardial ischemia, left ventricular scarring and heart weight.

The amount and distribution of coronary arterial narrowing by atherosclerotic plaque at necropsy is described in 70 victims, aged 22 to 81 years (mean 50), of sudden coronary death. Of 3,484 five-millimeter segments examined (mean 50 per patient) from the 4 major (left main, left anterior descending, left circumflex and right) coronary arteries, 950 (27%) were narrowed 76 to 100% in cross-sectional area (XSA), 1,127 (32%), 51 to 75%; 689 (20%), 26 to 50%; and 718 (21%), 0 to 25%. More extensive severe narrowing occurred in the proximal than in the distal halves of the left anterior descending, left circumflex and right coronary arteries. Comparison between the 31 previously symptomatic victims (angina pectoris or a clinical acute myocardial infarction or both) with the 39 victims who had previously been asymptomatic disclosed a significantly higher mean percent of severely narrowed (76 to 100% XSA) 5-mm segments (30 vs 25%, p less than 0.005) and lower mean percent of minimally narrowed (0 to 25% XSA) segments in the symptomatic group (15 vs 25%, p less than 0.001). Comparison of the 31 patients who had a healed myocardial infarction at necropsy with the 39 patients who did not disclosed a higher mean percent of 5-mm segments narrowed 76 to 100% in XSA (33 vs 24%, p less than 0.001) and a lower mean percent of segments narrowed minimally in those with a left ventricular scar (13 vs 26%, p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)