OBJECTIVES To assess the pathophysiologic effects of the coronary sequelae of Kawasaki disease on coronary hemodynamic variables, we regionally evaluated the flow velocity dynamics and flow reserve in coronary vessels with lesions using an intracoronary Doppler flow guide wire. BACKGROUND The pathophysiologic effects of the coronary sequelae of Kawasaki disease on coronary hemodynamic variabl...

To study the newly mentioned significance of the obstructive lesion morphology in coronary artery disease (CAD), a study has been designed to compare this feature between patients having stable angina (SA) or unstable angina (UA) who underwent coronary angiography in Tehran Heart Institute. Study objectives were detection of the angina producing artery (AP A) and its morphologic lesion typ...

To examine whether endothelial nitric oxide formation contributes to the vascular tone of resistance coronary vessels in vivo, we administered NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (10 and 100 micrograms/kg/min), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, as well as D-enantiomer into the left circumflex artery in normal dogs. Intracoronary L-NAME, which was associated with dose-related reductions i...

Enhancement of coronary collateral function is an intriguing approach to the preservation of ischaemic myocardium. Coronary collateral development consists of collateral recruitment and collateral growth. Collateral growth encompasses proliferation of capillaries in the ischaemic area (angiogenesis) and maturation of pre-existing collateral vessels (arteriogenesis), with the latter being more r...

To provide a morphometric basis for any mathematical modeling of the coronary vasculature, data on the network of coronary capillary blood vessels and the topology of the arteriolar supply and venular drainage relative to the capillaries are presented. The diameters, lengths, and branching patterns of the coronary capillary blood vessels in the right and left ventricles of four pigs were measur...

BACKGROUND There are several clinical situations in which large epicardial coronary arteries are deprived of blood flow, such as occurs when an obstructing thrombus or embolus lodges within a vessel or during coronary dissection. There is little information concerning the effect of flow deprivation on large epicardial coronary arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied a model in which a segmen...

Background. Intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS) has the ability to quantitatively evaluate vessel wall morphology and is well suited for serial studies of coronary artery disease regression and progression. However, the potential risk for catheter-induced endothelial damage and accelerated atherosclerosis in instrumented vessels is a concern. The acute effects as well as the 1-year safety of ICUS r...