Abstract
In order to make optimal decisions on the treatment of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease (CHD), appropriate evaluation is necessary, including both the anatomical and physiological assessment of the coronary arteries. According to current guidelines, a fractional flow reserve (FFR)-based clinical decision is recommended, but coronary flow reserve (CFR) measurements and microvascular evaluation should also be considered in special cases for a detailed exploration of the coronary disease state. We aimed to generate an extended physiological evaluation during routine FFR measurement and define a new pathological flow-related prognostic factor. Fluid dynamic equations were applied to calculate CFR on the basis of the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the invasively acquired coronary angiogram and the measured intracoronary pressure data. A new, potentially robust prognostic parameter of a coronary lesion called the "flow separation index" (FS(i)), which is thought to detect the pathological flow amount through a stenosis was introduced in a vessel-specific flow range. Correlations between FS(i) and the clinically established physiological indices (CFR and FFR) were determined. The FS(i) was calculated in 19 vessels of 16 patients, including data from the pre- and post-stent revascularization treatment of 3 patients. There was no significant correlation between the FS(i) and the CFR (r = -0.23, p = 0.34); however, there was significant negative correlation between the FS(i) and the FFR (r = -0.66, p = 0.002). An even stronger correlation was found between the FS(i) and the ratio of the resting pressure ratio and the FFR (r = 0.92, p < 0.0001). The diagnostic power of the FS(i) for predicting the FFR value of <0.80, as a gold standard prognostic factor, was tested by receiver operating characteristic analysis. FS(i) > 0.022 proved to be the cutoff value of the prediction of a pathologically low FFR with a 0.856 area under the curve (95% confidence interval: 0.620 to 0.972). The present flow-pressure-velocity display provides a comprehensive summary of patient-specific pathophysiology in CHD. The consequences of epicardial stenoses can be evaluated together with their complex relations to microvascular conditions. Based on these values, clinical decision-making concerning both pharmacological therapy and percutaneous or surgical revascularization may be more precisely guided.