Background: Coronary flow reserve (CFR) provides essential information about the coronary microvasculature. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk factor for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. We hypothesized that low CFR is associated with CKD and long-term cardio-cerebrovascular events in the patients without obstructive coronary artery diseases and vasospasm.
Method and results: In this study, 73 patients suspected with coronary artery disease but had no epicardial coronary stenosis and vasospasm were enrolled. There were 13 CKD patients and CFR was measured using the Doppler flow wire methods in the left anterior descending artery. CFR was significantly lower in CKD group than non-CKD group (3.13 ± 0.6 vs. 4.00 ± 1.1, P = 0.007). From multivariate logistic regression analysis, the independent factor associated with the presence of CKD was only CFR (odds ratio 3.85, 95% confidence interval 1.27-11.70, P = 0.017). In the patients with low CFR (≤ 2.8), cardio-cerebrovascular events were more common than those with normal CFR (CFR > 2.8). Besides, in the patients who had both low CFR and CKD, long-term cardio-cerebrovascular events were more likely to occur than those with normal CFR or non-CKD.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that low CFR is associated with CKD and cardio-cerebrovascular events in the patients without coronary stenosis and vasospasm.