Fractional flow reserve at 2013: an update

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Interventional Cardiology
• Physiology

Background:

• Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is a key diagnostic tool for intermediate coronary lesions in stable coronary syndromes.
• Accurate assessment of hemodynamic significance guides revascularization decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current evidence supporting FFR use in guiding cardiovascular interventions.
• To compare FFR with other invasive and non-invasive assessment methods.
• To examine FFR's correlation with symptoms and major adverse cardiovascular events, referencing FAME-2 study results.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and critical analysis of existing data.
• Examination of FFR's relationship with clinical outcomes and symptom severity.
• Discussion of recent advancements and future research directions.

Main Results:

• FFR is valuable for guiding interventions in stable coronary syndromes.
• The FAME-2 study provides critical data on FFR's clinical utility.
• Emerging technologies like instantaneous wave-free ratio and CT-FFR are discussed.

Conclusions:

• FFR plays a significant role in current cardiovascular practice.
• Further research is needed to address scientific gaps and refine FFR-guided strategies.
• Understanding FFR's limitations and emerging applications is essential.