Although atherosclerosis is usually considered a disease of the large arteries, risk factors for atherosclerosis also trigger structural and functional abnormalities at a microvascular level. In cardiac disease, microvascular dysfunction is especially relevant in women, among whom the manifestation of ischemic disease due to impaired coronary microcirculation is more common than in men. This sex-specific clinical phenotype has important clinical implications and, given the higher pre-test probability of coronary microvascular dysfunction in females, different diagnostic modalities should be used in women compared to men. In this review, we summarize invasive and non-invasive diagnostic modalities to assess coronary microvascular function, ranging from catheter-based evaluation of endothelial function to Doppler echocardiography and positron emission tomography. Moreover, we discuss different clinical settings in which microvascular disease plays an important role, underlining the importance of choosing the right diagnostic modality depending on the sex of the patients.
Keywords: Coronary flow reserve; Diagnostic modalities; Microcirculation; Microvascular dysfunction; Sex difference; Women.
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