Relation between coronary arterial stenosis and acute myocardial infarction

Objective To assess the underlying stenosis severity of the culprit lesion in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI).Methods 171 patients with AMI were analyzed retrospectively and the following criteria were met: ① patients were treated with adequate antithrombotic drugs;② angiography was performed within 6-30 days after the onset of symptoms of AMI;③infarct related artery flow recovered before balloon expansion.Quantitative coronary angiography(QCA) was performed to estimate the stenosis severity and the differences of stenosis severity in the main branches were analyzed.Results In 171 patients,161 patients(94.15%) showed moderate and severe stenosis(coronary artery diameter stenosis percentage more than 50%),while 160 patients(93.57%) showed severe coronary stenosis(coronary artery diameter stenosis percentage more than 70%).The average diameter stenosis percentage of the left anterior descending(LAD),left circumflex(LCX) and right coronary artery(RCA) were(84±21)%,(82±31)% and(81±32)% respectively,and there were no significant differences among them(P0.05).Conclusion The majority of acute myocardial infarctions occur in moderate and severe coronary stenosis.