title: Angiographic assessment of coronary stenoses: a review of the techniques.
abstract: This article reviews the fundamental techniques to quantify the physiological severity of (coronary) stenoses. Although a wide survey of different techniques and applications is provided, the focus of this review is on: 1) the assessment of the immediate effect of the stenoses on blood flow (i.e., the hemodynamic severity), and not on the assessment of the pathology of the vessel itself; 2) the flow reserve methods to defining the physiological severity of stenoses; and 3) the determination of blood flow and tissue perfusion by X-ray angiography (a short survey of other imaging modalities is provided as well). Although the practical implementation of the techniques is illustrated by applying them to coronary stenoses, most of the issues involved are of interest in other application areas (using other imaging modalities) as well. This review consists of four parts. The first part deals with the definition of stenoses severity; the second part with tracer kinetic theory necessary to determine flows by imaging; the third part focusses on (cardiac) imaging modalities, with an emphasis on X-ray angiography; and the last part illustrates the practical implementation of the techniques in cardiology.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Signals and Systems, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. marc.schrijver@philips.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schrijver
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004395:Dye Dilution Technique; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media