Role of coronary artery spasm in progression of organic coronary stenosis and acute myocardial infarction in a swine model. Importance of mode of onset and duration of coronary artery spasm.

Abstract

These results indicate that: 1) intramural hemorrhage was frequently induced by coronary spasm of abrupt but not of gradual onset, 2) intramural hemorrhage resulted in acute progression of coronary stenosis and sometimes resulted in persistent total coronary occlusion leading to acute myocardial infarction, and 3) prolonged coronary spasm resulted in acute myocardial infarction without progression of organic coronary stenosis.