Anatomy and physiology of coronary blood flow

It is clear now that measurements of myocardial blood flow in absolute units expand the current scope of noninvasive studies of the human circulatory function. While this new capability allows improved characterization of the extent and severity of coronary artery disease, its impact is likely to be the greatest in patients with microvascular disorders. It is in this particular disease entity where flow measurements offer a means for estimating the true ischemic burden of the myocardium and its associated cardiac risk. Further, it is in these patients, where targeting different aspects of coronary vasomotion with flow measurements can aid in determining the severity of disease, distinguish between functional and structural alterations and, at the same time, identify potential reversibility and thus therapeutic strategies. 71,72. Copyright © 2010.