title: Corrected TIMI frame count: applicability in modern digital catheter laboratories when different frame acquisition rates are used.
abstract: The original description of the TIMI frame count (TFC) method was based on angiograms acquired at 30 f/sec. Modern digital angiograms are acquired at lower frame rates (between 12.5 and 25 f/sec). Coronary angiography was acquired at 12.5 and 25 f/sec after 200 mug of intracoronary glyceryl trinitrate. Results of the corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC) at 12.5 and 25 f/sec for each vessel were: right coronary artery, 19.5 +/- 5.2 and 20.4 +/- 6.6 (P = 0.15); circumflex artery, 25.6 +/- 8.2 and 25.9 +/- 8.7 (P = 0.5); and left anterior descending artery, 22.5 +/- 8.1 and 23.8 +/- 10.4 (P = 0.15), respectively. The mean difference in the TFC between two injections by the same operator and by two operators was 0.4 (P = 0.7) and 0.4 (P = 0.2), respectively. The mean difference in the TFC for repeat measurements by the same observer and between two observers was 0.26 (P = 0.3) and 0.06 (P = 0.8), respectively. We confirm that the cTFC is a quantitative method to assess coronary flow that can be applied in a modern digital laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, James Cook University Hospital, Marton Road, Middlesbrough TS4 3BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kunadian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vijayalakshmi
authors.forename: Victoria J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Ashton
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de Belder
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000379:methods; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors