Is the problem of intact coronary arteries still or is it close to solving?

Abstract

The dominant paradigm in the diagnosis of patients with stable coronary artery disease was the identification of patients with obstructive lesions of the coronary arteries, and then - ensuring the possibility of myocardial revascularization. The diagnostic algorithms used until recently led to the fact that in invasive coronary angiography obstructive changes in the coronary arteries were detected in less than half of the cases. In the 2019 European Guidelines for the Diagnosis of Chronic Coronary Syndrome, this algorithm was significantly revised, but the results of its implementation have not yet been published. Currently, several pathophysiological variants of angina pectoris have been proposed, which can be identified by an interventional diagnostic procedure for invasive coronary angiography. Recent studies have shown that up to 90% of patients without obstructive lesions of the epicardial coronary arteries have microvascular or vasospastic angina. This review focuses on these topical aspects of the problem of intact coronary arteries.