Diagnosis and prognosis of chest pain with normal coronary arteriograms.

. Ninety-eight patients previously investigated for suspected angina but shown to have normal coronary arteriograms were reviewed. The prognosis for life expectancy was excellent but 76% were still symptomatic after average follow up of three years. 41% of those re-evaluated were still thought to be describing cardiac-like pain. Full re-investigation showed coronary artery spasm or other causes of myocardial ischaemia to be rare whereas oesophageal spasm was a common cause of the pain.