In the past, revascularization for acute coronary syndromes was demonstrated to be a life-saving procedure. Conversely, the efficacy of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in patients with stable angina pectoris has been a matter of ongoing debate.
Large randomized trials comparing revascularization with optimal medical therapy failed to demonstrate the benefit of the interventional approach. Therefore, PCI has been performed mainly in patients with objective evidence of ischemia unresponsive to medical therapy.