RESEARCH SAYS ANGIOPLASTY BEST ANGINA TREATMENT

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 2, 1992                   TAG: 9201020052
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON                                LENGTH: Short
RESEARCH SAYS ANGIOPLASTY BEST ANGINA TREATMENT
Putting balloons into the heart to squeeze open clogged arteries works better than medicine alone for relieving chest pain, a new study finds.
The research provides the first rigorous scientific evidence to support the widely held belief that angioplasty is effective for treating angina resulting from uncomplicated heart disease.
In a randomly chosen group of men, the doctors found that angioplasty relieved angina in 64 percent, while medicine alone worked well in 46 percent.
The research does not answer the question of whether angioplasty or medicine should be the first choice for treating people with coronary artery disease.
Some doctors believe that people with chest pain should be routinely started on common heart drugs, such as beta blockers or calcium-channel blockers. Angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery should be used only when this conservative approach fails.
Others maintain that for many people, immediate angioplasty makes sense, because it can quickly provide relief from pain and can eliminate the need to take medicines that may have unpleasant side effects.
Angioplasty is considerably more expensive than drug treatment, and it carries a small risk of serious complications or death.
Angioplasty costs about $5,000 to $7,000. Medical treatment costs about $1,000 a year.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB