Nation IN BRIEF : NATIONWIDE : Angioplasty Is Found Better Than Medicine
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Putting balloons into the heart to squeeze open clogged arteries works better than medicine alone for relieving chest pain, a new study finds. The survey, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 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 study of 212 men, the doctors found that angioplasty relieved angina in 64%, while medicine alone worked well in 46%. But the research does not answer the question of whether angioplasty or medicine should be the first choice for treating people with coronary artery disease.
