Simvastatin may improve myocardial perfusion abnormality in slow coronary flow.
BACKGROUND
The slow coronary flow (SCF) phenomenon is a coronary microvascular disorder characterized by the delayed passage of contrast in the absence of obstructive epicardial coronary disease. Recent studies showed the possible role of endothelial dysfunction, diffuse atherosclerosis and inflammation in the pathogenesis of this phenomenon. We aimed to investigate the effect of statin on myocardial perfusion in patients with SCF.


RESULTS
The study population consisted of 97 patients with SCF. Coronary flow patterns of the cases are determined by thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count method. Single-photon emission computed tomographic myocardial perfusion imaging studies and lipid parameters of the patients were obtained before and after 6 months of simvastatin treatment period. During the study, daily single dose of 40 mg simvastatin has been given to each subject. We found a significant positive correlation between mean TIMI frame count and basal reversibility score (r = 0.84, p = 0.0001). In addition, analysis of the reversibility scores demonstrates that simvastatin treatment has significantly improved the myocardial perfusion abnormality at the end of the follow-up period.


CONCLUSIONS
Present findings allow us to conclude that simvastatin improved myocardial perfusion in patients with SCF.
Cakmak
Mahmut
M
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery Center, Istanbul, Turkey. cakmakmn@yahoo.com
Tanriverdi
Halil
H
Cakmak
Nazmiye
N
Evrengul
Harun
H
Cetemen
Sebnem
S
Kuru
Omur
O
D000328:Adult; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D019821:Simvastatin