Summary
Recent clinical, angiographic, and pathologic evidence has prompted reexamination of the natural history of coronary atherosclerosis. Abrupt anatomic complications of atherosclerotic plaques or thrombosis on a plaque may precipitate the “malignant” syndromes of sudden death, acute myocardial infarction, or unstable angina before the plaque itself is large enough to limit coronary flow. This concept of a bimodal pattern of presentation has important clinical and therapeutic implications.
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Commerford, P.J. Bimodal presentation of the clinical syndromes of coronary atherosclerosis: A review. Cardiovasc Drug Ther 1, 671–676 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02125755
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02125755