Coronary fractional flow reserve.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Interventional Cardiology

Background:

• Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is a crucial diagnostic tool in cardiology.
• Assessing coronary artery stenosis requires understanding hyperemia's role.
• Clinical evidence supports the utility of invasive FFR measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define fractional flow reserve (FFR) and its core concepts.
• To explain the necessity of hyperemia in FFR assessments.
• To introduce the emerging noninvasive FFR computed tomography (FFR CT) method.

Main Methods:

• Review of fundamental FFR principles and hyperemia.
• Analysis of pivotal clinical trials validating FFR.
• Introduction to FFR CT methodology and its computational basis.

Main Results:

• FFR provides essential hemodynamic information for coronary artery disease management.
• Hyperemia is critical for accurate FFR interpretation.
• FFR CT represents a promising noninvasive alternative.

Conclusions:

• FFR CT is an emerging noninvasive technique with significant potential.
• Continued advancements in computational processing are key to enhancing FFR CT accuracy and efficiency.
• FFR CT may become a valuable tool in diagnosing and managing coronary artery disease.