Coronary Angiography-Derived Index of Microvascular Resistance

Hu Ai1,2, Yundi Feng3, Yanjun Gong4

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, China.

Frontiers in Physiology
|January 4, 2021
PubMed

Insights

A new coronary angiography-derived index of microvascular resistance (caIMR) accurately assesses microvascular diseases without a pressure wire. This method shows high diagnostic performance, potentially increasing adoption for ischemic heart disease patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Vascular Physiology
  • Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

  • Microvascular diseases in coronary circulation are challenging to assess.
  • Current methods like wire-derived index of microvascular resistance (IMR) require invasive procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the diagnostic performance of a novel coronary angiography-derived index of microvascular resistance (caIMR).
  • To compare caIMR against the reference standard wire-derived IMR in patients with suspected microvascular dysfunction.

Main Methods:

  • Coronary angiography and aortic pressure waves were used to compute caIMR in 56 patients.
  • caIMR was assessed against wire-derived IMR (Certus pressure wire) in a blinded manner.
  • Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were calculated with a cutoff of 25.

Main Results:

  • caIMR demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy (84.2%), sensitivity (86.1%), and specificity (81.0%) compared to IMR.
  • A strong correlation (r=0.746) and high AUC (0.919) were observed between caIMR and wire-derived IMR.
  • The caIMR method showed potential to eliminate the need for pressure wires.

Conclusions:

  • Coronary angiography-derived index of microvascular resistance (caIMR) is a viable, non-invasive tool for assessing coronary microvascular resistance.
  • caIMR offers a promising alternative to invasive pressure wire measurements, potentially improving the diagnosis and management of microvascular diseases.
  • This technique could enhance the adoption of physiological assessments for patients with ischemic heart disease.