• Incidence of coronary vasospasm in spite of medical treatment [ Time Frame: After inclusion of last patient ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Coronary artery spasm is an abrupt severe vasoconstrictor response which may occur spontaneously in normal and diseased coronary arteries. It may result in myocardial ischemia and may be provoked by various stimuli such as acetylcholine (ACh). Coronary vasospasm is involved in the pathogenesis of Prinzmetal's angina, acute myocardial infarction or sudden cardiac death due to ventricular arrythmias and chest pain symptoms associated with viral myocarditis.

The precise cellular and molecular mechanisms of coronary vasospasm have not yet been elucidated. The most often suggested but competing explanations for this disease are coronary endothelial dysfunction secondary to impaired nitric oxide production versus coronary smooth muscle cell hyperreactivity with or without additional endothelial dysfunction. As the precise cellular mechanism is currently unknown a large group of people can currently not be treated appropriately despite the use of nitrates and calcium antagonists.

Sildenafil is a phosphodiesterase(PDE)-5 inhibitor approved for the treatment of both erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. PDE-5 has been shown to be also present and play an important vasomotor role in the coronary vessel wall. Application of the inhibitor sildenafil has been shown to increase the resting coronary artery diameter. Furthermore, atherosclerotic coronary artery segments which vasoconstrict following intracoronary ACh-application vasodilate following the application of sildenafil when ACh-testing is repeated. Other studies are also suggesting an improved endothelial function after sildenafil application for both the coronary and the peripheral vasculature.

Taken together, sildenafil is expected to have a positive effect on coronary vasomotility. Whether sildenafil can totally prevent the occurrence of coronary vasospasm or at least decrease the severity of vasospasm has not been studied so far. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyse the possible anti-spastic effects of sildenafil in patients suffering from coronary vasospasm.