Predictors of recurrent angina in patients with no need for secondary revascularization.

Background: Approximately 20% to 30% of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) develop recurrent angina pectoris following successful and complete coronary revascularization utilizing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We aim to investigate predictors of recurrent angina pectoris in patients who have undergone successful coronary revascularization using PCI, but on repeat coronary angiography have no need for secondary revascularization.

Methods: The study comprised 3,837 patients with CAD, who were enrolled from January 2007 to June 2019. They had undergone successful PCI; some of them redeveloped angina pectoris within one year after the procedure, but on repeat coronary angiography had no need for revascularization. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count was used to evaluate the velocity of coronary blood in the follow-up angiogram. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate risk factors for recurrent angina pectoris. Similarly, predictors of recurrent angina according to the TIMI frame count were assessed using multivariate linear regression.

Results: In this retrospective study, 53.5% of patients experienced recurrent angina pectoris. By multivariate logistic regression, the following characteristics were statistically identified as risk factors for recurrent angina pectoris: female sex, older age, current smoking, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≥1.8 mmol/L, and an elevated TIMI frame count ( for all <0.05). Similarly, using multivariate linear regression, the statistical risk factors for TIMI frame count included: female sex, older age, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), post-procedural treatment without the inclusion of dual antiplatelet therapy.

Conclusions: Patient characteristics of female sex, older age, diabetes, and elevated BMI are associated with an increased TIMI frame count, coronary microcirculation dysfunction, and recurrent angina pectoris after initially successful PCI. In addition, current smoking and LDL-C ≥1.8 mmol/L are risk factors for recurrent angina pectoris. In contrast, the treatment with dual antiplatelet therapy is negatively correlated with a higher TIMI frame count and the risk of recurrent angina pectoris.