Myocardial Capillaries and Coronary Flow Reserve

A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between myocardial capillaries and coronary flow reserve. The study revealed that cardiologists assumed that myocardial ischemia occurs only in the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease. It was found that the assumption is based on the misconception that abnormal coronary flow reserve (CFR) is associated only with coronary stenosis and results from the increased resistance offered by the stenosis. The study also revealed that there many conditions that are associated with reduced myocardial capillary density (MCD) and lower CFR, such as myocardial infarction, hypertension, and diabetes. It was observed that the MCD was reduced and the capillary diameter (D) was also smaller. The model developed for the investigations predicted that a relation exists between MCD and CFR, when capillary D is unchanged.