Relationship between collateral blood flow and microvascular perfusion after reperfused acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

During acute Occlusion of an epicardial vessel collaterals preserve the microvascular perfusion and limit the extent of myocardial damage. Pressure-derived collateral flow index (CFIp) assessed by intracoronary pressure measurement allow us to quantify collateral vessel development. The angiographic myocardial blush (MB) scores, based on the contrast dye density and washout in the infarcted myocardium, provide important information about microvascular perfusion after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In this stud), we assessed the microvascular perfusion with MB and studied the relation between CFIp in patients with AMI who treated with thrombolytic therapy and TIMI grade III] now restored in the infarct related artery (IRA).