Laser Procedure Found to Ease Angina

LONDON, Sept. 13 -- Patients who suffer from angina but are not eligible for a bypass operation or other surgical treatment can get relief with transmyocardial revascularisation (TMR), according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet. In TMR, a laser is used to create channels through the muscular layer of the heart wall to increase blood flow. TMR lowered angina scores, increased exercise tolerance time and improved patients' perceptions of quality of life, said James Jones of the University of Missouri.
Jones and a team of researchers conducted their study of 182 patients at 16 medical centers. All of the patients observed had severe angina and were taking drugs for the condition; many had already suffered a heart attack. Ninety-two patients were selected at random to undergo TMR while continuing drug therapy. The scientists measured the extent of the disease and the exercise ability of both groups of patients at three, six and 12 months after the start of the trial. Patients in the group receiving TMR were able to exercise longer and showed more improvement in their conditions than did those in the drugs-only group. Our study showed significant improvements in symptoms and function after 12 months among no-option patients treated with TMR, Jones added.