In order to assess comparative efficacy of pharmacoinvasive strategy of myocardial reperfusion and primary angioplasty in ST elevation acute myocardial infarction 289 patients were randomized at prehospital stage within first 6 hours of the disease into 2 groups: primary angioplasty (group 1), and prehospital thrombolysis with subsequent rescue or delayed angioplasty depending on efficacy of thrombolysis. We analyzed clinical and anamnestic characteristics of patients, efficacy of reperfusion measures, dimensions of myocardial necrosis, and clinical course of the disease. Pharmacoinvasive myocardial reperfusion with prehospital thrombolysis compared with primary coronary angioplasty decreased time of myocardial ischemia (224.65 +/- 71 vs. 278 +/- 184 min, p < 0.03), increased rate of achievement of TIMI grade 3 flow after percutaneous coronary intervention (80.5% vs. 71.4%, p = 0.002) and more effectively preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (60.0 +/- 14.9% vs. 54.9 +/- 12.3%, p < 0.01). Prehospital thrombolysis before coronary angioplasty compared with primary angioplasty was associated with lower rate of development of no-reflow syndrome (1.4% vs. 11.6%, p < 0.003).