[Reduction of myocardial segment shortening during angina-free period in patients with angina pectoris].

In 16 patients with angina pectoris who had no histories of myocardial infarction, myocardial segment shortening was studied during angina-free periods. Myocardial segment length in the anterior wall of the left ventricle was calculated by measuring the spatial length between two points identified as junctions of ramifying branches of the left coronary arteries using biplane coronary cineangiography. Segment shortening was classified according to the severity of coronary arterial stenosis. The patients were categorized according to the severity of coronary arterial stenosis: as 1) the 0% stenosis (normal); 2) the 50% stenosis group; and 3) the 75-90% stenosis group. Total segment shortening in the normal group was the same as that in the 50% stenosis group (10.4 +/- 2.5%). However, in the 75-90% stenosis group, segment shortening was reduced to 7.3 +/- 2.5%. Effective segment shortening during the ejection period was reduced (5.0 +/- 1.8%) in the 75-90% stenosis group, as compared with the normal group (8.4 +/- 2.4%) and the 50% stenosis group (7.2 +/- 3.6%). This study demonstrated that segment shortening was reduced at rest in patients with angina pectoris who had had no previous infarction. A possible mechanism of this reduced segment shortening during angina-free periods may be irreversible myocardial alteration from recurrent ischemic attacks.