IMR Press / RCM / Volume 15 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.3909/ricm0699

Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine (RCM) is published by IMR Press from Volume 19 Issue 1 (2018). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with MedReviews, LLC.

Open Access Review
Prevention and Treatment of No-Reflow Phenomenon by Targeting the Coronary Microcirculation
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1 Vascular Biology Center, Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, GA
2 Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY
3 Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, GA
4 Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2014, 15(1), 38–51; https://doi.org/10.3909/ricm0699
Published: 30 March 2014
Abstract
The coronary no-reflow phenomenon refers to the post–percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) state in which, despite successful revascularization of the epicardial conduit coronary arteries, substantial regions of the myocardium do not receive adequate perfusion. In most cases, the underlying mechanism can be attributed to alterations in the microvascular circulation caused by factors intrinsic or extrinsic to the coronary microcirculation. Because the no-reflow phenomenon is associated with poor clinical outcomes, it is of great importantance to identify and apply effective strategies for reducing post-PCI morbidity and mortality. Successful prevention strategies aim to ad dress increased vasoreactivity, intravascular platelet aggregation, microvascular inflammation, and down-stream plaque particle embolization. This review provides an updated overview on the pathomechanism of no-reflow and the current available prevention strategies from the perspective of coronary microcirculation. Although large randomized clinical trials have not yet identified any effective treatment, studying the coronary microcirculation may reveal new therapeutic targets for successful amelioration of the adverse clinical consequences from no-reflow phenomenon.
Keywords
No-reflow
Coronary microcirculation
Microvascular obstruction
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