[Position paper of the Italian Society of Invasive Cardiology (SICI-GISE) on indications for coronary angiography in patients with stable angina].

Available data suggest a steep increase in stable coronary artery disease with age. Its prevalence reaches a peak of almost 12-14% in men aged 65-84 years with an annual mortality ranging from 1.2% to 2.4%. The diagnosis of stable angina is primarily based on history and therefore relies on clinical judgment. In addition, its diagnosis can be extremely challenging because of the frequent transition from unstable to stable angina. Current European guidelines on the management of stable coronary artery disease give increased importance to the pre-test probability, which strongly affects the diagnostic algorithms. Imaging techniques play a greater role in the diagnosis of stable angina than in the past. Conversely, despite recent advances in technology and in the physiological assessment of coronary stenosis, an ever decreasing relevance is conferred to coronary angiography. Another difficult and controversial issue relates to the prognostic benefit of myocardial revascularization. The aim of this position paper is to review the most relevant clinical aspects of the European guidelines on the management of stable coronary artery disease.