Coronary flow reserve varies depending upon the location within the artery it is assessed and the TIMI myocardial perfusion grade: a PROTECT TIMI-30 analysis.

Coronary flow reserve (CFR) is a measure of the capacity of the epicardial coronary artery and the microvasculature to achieve maximal blood flow in response to hyperemic stimulation. It is not known whether the CFR varies along the length of the artery. Likewise, the interaction between CFR and the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) myocardial perfusion grade (TMPG) is unknown. CFR was measured using the number of cineframes required for the contrast to traverse the same length of the coronary artery before and following the administration of intracoronary adenosine. Following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), CFR was assessed both proximal and distal to the lesion in 192 consecutive patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) from the PROTECT TIMI-30 trial. TMPG was also assessed. The difference between the distal and proximal CFR for patients with TMPG 0/1 (n = 76) was 0.11 (95% CI 0.01-0.20, P = 0.026), while among those with TMPG 2/3 (n = 114) it was -0.02 (95% CI -0.09-0.06, P = 0.65). The difference in the CFR between the distal and proximal segments among patients with TMPG 0/1 and TMPG 2/3 was significant (P interaction = 0.044). Following PCI among patients with impaired TMPG (0/1) in the setting of NSTEACS, CFR varies significantly between the proximal and distal segment of coronary arteries and is associated with higher (greater) distal CFR.