Colin Berry Involved in Trial to determine underlying causes of Angina

Published: 25 May 2023

Trial Helps Determine Underlying Causes of Angina

Image of professor Colin Berry

Professor Colin Berry is one of the trial leaders looking to determine the underlying causes of Angina. The study has found that the used of tests for small blood pressure vessel function in the heart clarify the underlying cause of the condition.

The patients were referred by their GP for assessment of chest pain were invited to the study to see if a heart scan had ruled out blocked heart arteries.

The trial has shown that the common underlying cause of chest symptoms in angina sufferers was myocardial ischaemia with no obstructive arteries (INOCA), which wasn’t diagnosed by a standard CT heart scan. The diagnosis was clarified using tests where INOCA was 4 times more likely, while ‘normal’ results were half as less likely to detect small vessel disease.

The study has been funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government and the British Heart Foundation as well as sponsored by the NHS Golden Jubilee. The study was carried out by heart specialists from the University of Glasgow and took place in 3 Hospitals within NHS Scotland.

Members of the team who carried out the trial presented the finding at the world leading cardiovascular medicine conference, EuroPCR, in Paris on Thursday 18 May


First published: 25 May 2023