Acute myocardial infarction following attacks of variant angina

Acute myocardial infarction is an occasional complication of recurrent attacks of variant angina, which usually occurs at rest and is associated with transient ST-segment elevation. Myocardial infarction following episodes of variant angina is generally of the nontransmural type and is followed by the typical complications encountered in patients with conventional MI. Coronary angiography in these patients shows findings ranging from normal coronary arteries to 3-vessel disease. Detection of this syndrome requires close clinical observation, frequent ECG readings, and serial sampling for cardiac enzyme and isoenzyme analysis.