ABSTRACT
The chapter describes the most common features of anginal pain and discusses its mechanisms, its very variable location and radiation as well as its total absence in some cases. It presents a description of the typical patterns of recurrence of painful episodes which characterize distinct anginal syndromes and provide clues about the respective underlying causes and the differential diagnosis. It discusses the diagnosis of acute myocardial ischemia and of its underlying causes, together with the determinants of prognosis in anginal syndromes. Finally it presents the problem of the recurrence of angina in patients with previous coronary revascularization or angiography and the evaluation and risk stratifi cation of acute chest pain in the emergency department.
