Coronary artery spasm

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Angina

Artery cut section

Coronary artery spasm

Variant angina; Angina - variant; Prinzmetal's angina 

The main symptom is angina (a type of chest pain), with these characteristics:

• Under the chest bone
• Described as squeezing, constricting, tightness, pressure, crushing -- it is usually severe and may radiate to the neck, jaw, shoulder, or arm
• It often occurs at rest
• May occur at the same time each day, usually between midnight and 8:00 AM
• Pain lasts from 5 to 30 minutes
• Pain is relieved by nitroglycerin
• Syncope (loss of consciousness) can accompany the angina

Tests to diagnose coronary artery spasm may include:

• Coronary angiography
• ECG

Review Date: 05/30/2006
Reviewed By: Alan Berger, MD, Assistant Professor, Divisions of Cardiology and Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.