Effect of Intracoronary Serotonin on Coronary Vessels in Patients with Stable Angina and Patients with Variant Angina

Abstract

Patients with stable coronary disease do not have the normal vasodilator response to intracoronary serotonin, but rather have progressive constriction, which is particularly intense in small distal and collateral vessels. Patients with variant angina have occlusive coronary-artery spasm at a dose that dilates normal vessels and causes only slight constriction in vessels from patients with stable angina. These findings suggest that serotonin, released after the intracoronary activation of platelets, may contribute to or cause myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease.