RT Journal A1 KATTUS AA, LONGMIRE WP, CANNON JA, WINFIELD ME, DAVIS JH T1 DIagnostic and functional evaluation of candidates for coronary endarterectomy JF A.M.A. Archives of Internal Medicine JO A.M.A. Archives of Internal Medicine YR 1959 FD December 1 VO 104 IS 6 SP 870 OP 885 DO 10.1001/archinte.1959.00270120026005 UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1959.00270120026005 AB The development of a new operation for the treatment of a serious disease must progress through a number of preliminary stages, involving animal and cadaver investigation, before it may be offered to the diseased human being. When the operation is finally ready for trial in the diseased patient, particularly if it carries an expected high risk, it must be offered at first only to patients so desperately ill that they are willing to accept any risk for the sake of possible benefit. Above all, the diagnosis in these patients must be beyond doubt.In the case of coronary endarterectomy as devised by Longmire, Cannon, and Kattus,1 the chief medical problem was to establish the diagnosis of coronary occlusive disease beyond doubt. Of secondary importance was the problem of obtaining some form of quantitative or at least quasiquantitative evaluation of the patients which might provide a baseline from which postoperative