title: Imaging techniques for assessment of coronary flow reserve.
abstract: The assessment of coronary flow reserve (CFR) may be useful for the functional evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD). Invasive techniques, such as intracoronary Doppler ultrasound and pressure-derived method, directly assess CFR velocity and fractional flow reserve. Positron emission tomography (PET) has emerged as an accurate noninvasive technique to quantify CFR. Nevertheless, this approach has not been applied to routine studies because of its high cost and complexity. Recently, attempts to estimate CFR with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) tracers have been made in order to obtain, with noninvasive methods, data for quantitative functional assessment of CAD. This review analyzes the relative merit and limitations of CFR measurements by cardiac imaging techniques and describes the potential clinical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Cardiovascular and Immunological Sciences, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petretta
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Acampa
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zampella
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Assante
authors.forename: Maria Piera
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Petretta
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cuocolo
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fabiani
authors.forename: Giuseppe Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Della Rattal
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perrone-Filardi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuocolo
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019160:Endosonography; D053805:Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi