Past, Present and Future of Coronary Physiology

Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed). 2018 Aug;71(8):656-667. doi: 10.1016/j.rec.2018.02.003. Epub 2018 Mar 16.
[Article in English, Spanish]

Abstract

It is well known that the apparent significant coronary stenosis on angiography sometimes does not cause significant ischemia, and vice versa. For this reason, decision-making based on coronary physiology is becoming more and more important. Fractional flow reserve (FFR), which has emerged as a useful tool to determine which lesions need revascularization in the catheterization laboratory, now has a class IA indication in the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. More recently, the instantaneous wave-free ratio, which is considered easier to use than FFR, has been graded as equivalent to FFR. This review discusses the concepts of FFR and instantaneous wave-free ratio, current evidence supporting their use, and future directions in coronary physiology.

Keywords: Cociente diastólico instantáneo sin ondas; Coronary physiology; Fisiología coronaria; Fractional flow reserve; Instantaneous wave-free ratio; Reserva fraccional de flujo.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cardiology / trends*
  • Coronary Artery Disease / epidemiology
  • Coronary Artery Disease / physiopathology*
  • Coronary Vessels / physiopathology*
  • Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial / physiology*
  • Global Health
  • Humans
  • Morbidity / trends