T he effects of hypertension and hypertrophy on the coronary circulation are subjects of increasing investigative interest.1-3 Animal studies have shown that the major conduit arteries are enlarged in pressure-overloaded, hypertrophied ventricles, but this increase falls short of paralleling the extent of hypertrophy.4 This enlargement is accompanied by an increase in the extracellular componen...

severe coronary artery disease often coexists with peripheral vascular atherosclerosis. the assessment of the supra-aortic circulation is, therefore, of clinical relevance. we herein describe a case of coronary artery disease treated with surgical revascularization using the internal mammary artery and thereafter the progressive atherosclerotic disease of the native coronary arteries as well as...

To examine whether acute myocardial ischemia activates the coagulation system and platelet activation in the coronary circulation, we measured plasma levels of fibrinopeptide A and j3-thromboglobulin in the coronary sinus and the aortic root simultaneously in 15 patients with coronary spastic angina before and after the left coronary spasm induced by intracoronary injection of acetylcholine and...

Introduction Coronary flow reserve (CFR) is defined as a ratio of maximal (stimulated) to baseline (resting) coronary blood flow. CFR evaluation is important for the understanding of the pathophysiology of coronary circulation. CFR measurement is used both to assess epicardial coronary stenoses and to examine the integrity of microvascular circulation. An appreciation of coronary physiology is ...

A preparation was developed to perfuse the coronary circulation in working hearts from rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri Richardson). The preparation was used to examine pressure-flow relationships for the coronary circulation as the heart generated physiological and subphysiological work loads. Coronary vascular resistance increased exponentially as coronary flow rate decreased. Coronary resistan...

The prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease largely depends on the presence of a collateral circulation. The location and extent of the collateral circulation is highly variable and these parameters determine whether or not ischemic symptoms occur and whether left ventricular contractility is abnormal. The collateral circulation is generally established through small-caliber distal v...