Dear Colleagues,

A great amount of clinical investigation over the past two decades has revealed the importance of microcirculation as a central target organ in cardiovascular health and cardiac disease. The physiological components of microcirculation play a vital function in mediating oxygen transport to tissue cells, with coronary microvascular dysfunction being increasingly recognized in multiple cardiovascular conditions.  

Dysfunction of the microcirculation is an early hallmark of several cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. A better understanding of microcirculation in normal and pathological conditions is therefore essential for assessing cardiovascular risk and for identifying optimal medical treatments.

The assessment of microcirculation is challenging, but recent technical and methodological developments have allowed major improvement. These include the introduction in all catheterization laboratories of pressure and Doppler wires to measure functional microcirculatory parameters without the need for more sophisticated tools such as positron emission tomography.

This Special Issue of the Journal welcomes original investigations and review articles that report detailed clinical determinants as well as pathophysiologic and prognostic information derived from coronary microvascular dysfunction.

Submissions that cover basic theoretical aspects, including the anatomy and physiology of microcirculation, as well as clinical cases and therapeutic considerations from an innovative perspective are encouraged. Articles covering the role of microcirculation in ischemic heart disease, heart failure, left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiac arrhythmias are also welcome. The ultimate objective of this Special Issue is to highlight the importance of coronary microcirculation in multiple clinical scenarios that are often encountered in daily clinical practice, thus providing a useful educational resource on microcirculation.

Dr. Francesco Pelliccia
Guest Editor