The aim of this study was to monitor coronary angiography activity and results, and to evaluate indications and treatment consequences using regional hospital registers and case records in the rural county of Ringkjøbing and urban county of Aarhus The study included all patients who had undergone a coronary angiography during 1996. For women, there were 606 (rural) and 1296 (urban) coronary angiographies per one million inhabitants (p < 0.0001) and for men, 1884 (rural) and 3051 (urban) coronary angiographies per one million inhabitants (p < 0.0001). In both counties the age distribution of the women examined was the same as that for the men. The angiographic rates were the same in the two counties for patients examined for valvular heart disease and severe arrhythmias. For patients with ischaemic heart disease, the angiographic rate for rural patients was two to three times lower than that for urban patients (p < 0.01). Revascularization procedures were performed in 39% (rural) and 40% (urban) of the examined women (NS) and 66% (rural) and 59% (urban) of the examined men (p < 0.05). Despite wide regional differences in coronary angiography activity, angiography was deployed to the same extent for examination of patients with valvular and severe arrhythmia heart disease. For patients examined for ischaemic heart disease, angiography activity was considerably lower in the rural area. The female patients had a higher frequency of normal coronary angiograms than the male patients.