© 2003 by BMJ Publishing Group & British Cardiac Society
EDITORIAL
Coronary flow: clinical considerations
1 University of Athens, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens, Greece
2 Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor Dennis V Cokkinos, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, 1st Cardiology Department, 356 Sygrou Avenue, 174 74 Athens, Greece;
cokkino1@otenet.gr
In the measurement of coronary blood flow to determine the success of percutaneous coronary intervention, invasive techniques, coupled with plaque characterisation and other intracoronary imaging modalities, may prove invaluable
Keywords: coronary blood flow
Abbreviations: CFR, coronary flow reserve; CBF, coronary blood flow; DEBATE, Doppler endpoints balloon angioplasty trial Europe; DESTINI, Doppler endpoint stenting international investigation; FFR, fractional flow reserve; LAD, left anterior descending; LIMA, left internal mammary artery; PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; PET, positron emission tomography; RCFR, relative coronary flow reserve; SPECT, single photon emission computed tomography; TIMI, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
The measurement of coronary blood flow (CBF) has transcended the realm of observational curiosity through the emergence of two developments:
- Firstly, the application of easier methods to measure it, which have replaced the older cumbersome inert gas and thermodilution techniques. Two notable examples are the non-invasive positron emission tomography (PET) calculations and the intracoronary Doppler measurements of flow velocity. Formerly, Doppler catheters were used, which could not measure flow distally to a stenosis. This problem was overcome by the use of the Flowire, which with a diameter of 0.014 inches can be placed across the stenosis during the course of invasive procedures. Because of its small diameter, this wire does not cause significant flow disturbances, as was the case with the previously used Doppler catheters. The Doppler wire actually measures flow velocity. For the velocity values to be equivalent to CBF, the cross sectional area of the vessel must be
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