Compensatory Adjustments in the Structure of Coronary Arteries of the Heart with Stenotic Atherosclerosis.

POSITIVE correlation between the degree of coronary atherosclerosis and severity of resulting secondary lesions (cardiosclerosis, myocardial infarction) is far from the rule.' It is also known that even marked stenotic coronary atherosclerosis rarely may fail to produce the changes characteristic of cardiosclerosis or infarction. Moreover, the site of occlusion of a coronary arterial branch by an atherosclerotic plaque may not correspond to the location of infarction. Finally, clinical and postmortem data show that occasionally even occlusion of a main coronary arterial trunk may be unaccompanied by severe disorders of coronary circulation. Discrepancy between occlusive coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial changes occurs because gradual development of stenotic coronary atherosclerosis is accompanied by a series of compensating adjustments, tending to maintain a more or less effective level of blood supply to cardiac muscle. This study