title: Coronary collateral circulation: its relevance.
abstract: The interest in coronary collateral circulation (CCC) as "natural bypasses" is growing, especially in patients in whom the extent of coronary atherosclerosis is too severe to allow for conventional revascularization. The anatomic foundation of CCC has been recognized for long time. Recently, reliable methods have become available for the assessment of the adequacy of collateral flow. However, the debate regarding the importance of CCC in the different clinical settings continues. In this article, we present the recent progress in the understanding of anatomy and physiology of the CCC and focus on the studies addressing their functional significance in acute, subacute, and chronic coronary artery disease. In addition, we provide a focused update on the essential role of collateral circulation in the management of coronary chronic total occlusions.
authors: Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors: Wassef
authors: W
authors: Karrowni
authors: Ramzi N
authors: RN
authors: El Accaoui
authors: Kanu
authors: K
authors: Chatterjee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003097:Collateral Circulation; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D054059:Coronary Occlusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis
keywords: coronary artery disease; total occlusions; vascular biology