To investigate the value of plasma placental growth factor (PlGF) in percutaneous coronary angioplasty and stent implantation. Methods From May 2006 to March 2007, 61 patients (53 males and 8 females, mean age61 years) and 28 normal controls were included. All patients present with acute chest pain and underwent coronary angiography, the lesion severity of coronary arteries was assessed by Gensini coronary scoring system. Of them, 26 patients having serious coronary lesion underwent (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, PTCA) and stent implantation. Cardiovascular events were recorded after 30 days. Plasma PlGF was determined by ELISA. Results According to the angiography, the patients could be divided into CAD group (n=45) and Non- CAD group (n=16). Plasma PlGF level in CAD group was significantly higher than that in Non-CAD group and control group [(10.70 ± 0.49) ng/L vs (4.53 ± 0.64) ng/L vs (3.64 ± 0.36) ng/L, P lt; 0.001)], and there was no significant difference between the non-CAD group and control group (P gt; 0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between Gensini coronary score and plasma PlGF level (r=0.918, P lt; 0.01). Moreover, patients with cardiovascular events had a higher PlGF level than those without cardiovascular events after PTCA and stent implantation [(13.98 ± 3.39) ng/L vs (7.25 ± 2.96) ng/L, P lt; 0.01)]. Conclusion PlGF level has diagnostic value in patients with acute chest pain. The measurement of plasma PlGF might be helpful for early diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Patients with higher plasma PlGF level may have more severe coronary lesion. PlGF may be one of predictors for cardiovascular events after PCI.
