[The recanalization of the chronically occluded infarct vessel in single-vessel coronary disease. The reduction of cardiac events in long-term clinical follow-up].

OBJECTIVE: The prognostic significance of recanalisation of a chronically occluded infarct vessel in single-vessel coronary disease remains controversial, in contrast to early re-opening of the infarct vessel in the acute state of infarction. It was the purpose of this prospective study to discover whether successful recanalisation in the former influences the incidence of cardiac events (death, infarction, by-pass operation) and clinical symptoms in the long term. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Recanalisation procedures were successful in 58, unsuccessful in 41 of 99 patients (81 men, 18 women; mean age 55 [28-79] years) with anterior wall (n = 53) or posterior wall (n = 46) myocardial infarction (AMI and PMI, respectively). The two groups were similar with respect to age, sex, left-ventricular function, indication, exercise capacity and premedication. But the interval between infarction and recanalisation was shorter in the patients who had successful recanalisation (5.1 +/- 5.3 vs 7.8 +/- 7.6 months; P < 0.05). Mean follow-up period for all patients was 55.8 +/- 8.9 months after the recanalisation procedure. RESULTS: There were significantly fewer cardiac events after successful than failed recanalisation, both for the total group of patients (5% vs 23%; P < 0.01) and those with AMI (9 vs 36%; P = 0.012). In the patients with PMI there was only a trend in favour of those with successful recanalisation (0% vs 14%; P = 0.058). Symptomatic improvement was reported by 73% of patients after successful but only 40% after failed recanalisation (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results provide pointers towards prognostic indications of recanalisation even after chronic occlusion of the infarct vessel. The procedure should therefore be attempted if the occlusion is morphologically suitable.