Vascular responses to ergometrine were compared in groups of patients subject to coronary artery spasm, or oesophageal spasm, or neither. We measured the degree of diffuse narrowing at different coronary artery sites (not in spasm), and the rise in blood pressure. The data provide no evidence for a generalised sensitivity to alpha-adrenergic stimulation underlying either of these two clinical e...

Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) has been widely used as a diagnostic and prognostic modality in the management of stress. DSE is associated with limited complications and adverse effects on the health of patients. In this case report, we described a 42-year-old female patient with dobutamine-induced coronary artery spasm with history of exertional dyspnea, which had deteriorated recent...

Coronary artery spasm usually responds to sublingual nitroglycerin. This report describes four patients with variant angina and one patient with rest angina who had coronary spasm that was refractory to sublingual or i.v. nitroglycerin. In four patients, spasm occurred spontaneous and in one patient after 0.05 mg of ergonovine. In each case, 25-100 micrograms of intracoronary nitroglycerin prom...

Coronary artery spasm usuafly reponds to sublingual nitroglycerin. This report describes four patients with variant angina and one patient with rest angina who had coronary spasm that was refractory to sublingual or i.v. nitroglycerin. In four patients, spasm occurred spontaneously and in one patient after 0.05 mg of ergonovine. In each case, 25-100 ,ug of intracoronary nitroglycerin promptly (...

In this study we attempted to determine if the cold pressor test, a known sympathetic reflexogenic stimulus, could precipitate coronary artery spasm. Thirty-five patients undergoing coronary arteriography for evaluation of chest pain syndromes were given the cold pressor test. During 1 minute of cold pressor stimulation, aortic systolic pressure increased 18.1 ± 9.7 mm Hg (mean ± SD) and heart ...

Postoperative coronary arterial spasm is a rare but potentially fatal complication. A 51-year-old male patient with a history of a reactive ergonovine stress test coronary angiogram developed refractory coronary artery spasm after undergoing minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The patient was successfully managed with rapid ...

We read with great interest the paper by Sicari et al. dealing with the prognostic value of dipyridamole echocardiography test in patients with chest pain syndrome and angiographically normal or near normal coronary arteries and the accompanying editorial by Marwick. This study, based in a large cohort with long-term follow-up, shows that dipyridamole echocardiography can identify a subgroup wi...

In patients with variant angina, previous data have been inconclusive as to whether basal coronary artery tone is elevated at the spastic and non-spastic sites. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the basal coronary artery tone and the responsiveness to acetylcholine (Ach) and ergonovine (Erg) in patients with variant angina. We compared the basal coronary artery tone and the constric...

In a patient with variant angina, we have shown that the calcium-channel blocker nifedipine inhibits both spontaneous and ergonivine-induced coronary artery spasm. It had no effect, however, on the dose-related diffuse vasoconstriction caused by ergonovine, suggesting two distinct responses of coronary arteries to ergonovine provocation. Nifedipine did not cause epicardial coronary artery dilat...

In this study we attempted to determine if the cold pressor test, a known sympathetic reflexogenic stimulus, could precipitate coronary artery spasm. Thirty-five patients undergoing coronary arteriography for evaluation of chest pain syndromes were given the cold pressor test. During 1 minute of cold pressor stimulation, aortic systolic pressure increased 18.1 ± 9.7 mm Hg (mean ± SD) and heart ...