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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Evaluation of Coronary Flow Reserve After Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion in Rats
Published on: June 28, 2019
Metoprolol does not effect myocardial fractional flow reserve in patients with intermediate coronary stenoses
Murat Ozdemir1, Guliz Erdem Yazici, Sedat Turkoglu
1Department of Cardiology, Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Metoprolol treatment did not affect myocardial fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements in patients with intermediate coronary artery stenoses. This finding suggests FFR remains a reliable indicator of stenosis severity even after metoprolol administration.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Physiology
Background:
- Myocardial fractional flow reserve (FFR) is a key diagnostic tool for assessing the hemodynamic significance of coronary artery stenoses.
- Intermediate coronary stenoses require careful evaluation to determine the need for revascularization.
- The potential impact of medications, such as metoprolol, on FFR values is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of intravenous metoprolol on FFR measurements in patients with intermediate-grade coronary stenoses.
- To determine if metoprolol administration alters the hemodynamic significance of coronary lesions as assessed by FFR.
Main Methods:
- Eighteen patients with intermediate coronary stenoses (30-70% narrowing) and preserved ejection fraction underwent FFR measurement.
- FFR was measured using a pressure wire and intracoronary adenosine before and after intravenous metoprolol administration.
- Metoprolol was administered to achieve at least a 10% decrease in heart rate.
Main Results:
- Metoprolol significantly reduced heart rate.
- Aortic and distal coronary pressures showed minimal changes after metoprolol.
- The FFR values before (0.83 ± 0.07) and after (0.83 ± 0.08) metoprolol administration were nearly identical, indicating no significant difference.
Conclusions:
- Metoprolol treatment does not significantly influence FFR values in patients with intermediate coronary stenoses and preserved ejection fraction.
- FFR remains a reliable index for evaluating coronary stenosis severity irrespective of metoprolol use in this patient group.
Objective:
Myocardial fractional flow reserve (FFR) is utilized to determine the hemodynamic significance of coronary stenoses. We sought to determine the effect, if any, of metoprolol on FFR in patients with coronary stenoses of intermediate severity.
Methods And Results:
Eighteen patients (10 males, mean age, 59.4 +/- 7.7 years) with isolated, intermediate (30% to 70% narrowing on coronary angiogram) lesions on the proximal LAD and a preserved ejection fraction, underwent FFR measurement using a 0.014 inch pressurewire and intracoronary adenosine injection before and after intravenous metoprolol at a dose that achieved at least a 10% decrease in the heart rate. Heart rate dropped significantly with metoprolol. At the premetoprolol measurement, aortic pressure (Pa) remained essentially the same (105.7 +/- 11.5 versus 105.6 +/- 11.6 mmHg, P > 0.05) and distal coronary pressure (Pd) dropped significantly by 9% from 96.3 +/- 12.7 to 87.4 +/- 13.4 mmHg (P < 0.001) after adenosine injection yielding an FFR(1) of 0.83 +/- 0.07. At the postmetoprolol phase, Pa dropped nonsignificantly by 2% from 104.4 +/- 12.8 to 102.4 +/- 14.3 mmHg (P = 0.09) and Pd dropped significantly by 11% from 95.7 +/- 14.4 to 85.3 +/- 16.4 mmHg (P < 0.001) after adenosine injection, yielding an FFR(2) of 0.83 +/- 0.08, which was almost exactly the same as FFR(1) (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
In this study, FFR was found not to be influenced by metoprolol treatment in patients with intermediate coronary stenoses and a preserved ejection fraction.
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