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Assessing coronary blood flow dynamics with the TIMI frame count method: Comparison with simultaneous intracoronary Doppler and ultrasound
Author(s) -
Tanedo Joel S.,
Kelly Russell F.,
Marquez Misael,
Burns Durand E.,
Klein Lloyd W.,
Costanzo Maria Rosa,
Parrillo Joseph E.,
Hollenberg Steven M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
catheterization and cardiovascular interventions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1522-726X
pISSN - 1522-1946
DOI - 10.1002/ccd.1203
Subject(s) - medicine , timi , cardiology , blood flow , coronary flow reserve , coronary circulation , lumen (anatomy) , hemodynamics , percutaneous coronary intervention , myocardial infarction
This study compared the TIMI frame count (TFC), which has been proposed as a method for quantifying coronary blood flow, with coronary flow and microvascular function measured with intracoronary Doppler and intracoronary ultrasound. Coronary blood flow volume was calculated from coronary blood velocity (by intracoronary Doppler) and lumen area (by intracoronary ultrasound) in the LAD in 46 post–heart transplant patients at baseline and after intracoronary adenosine. TFC correlated significantly with average peak coronary blood velocity (r = −0.42; P = 0.004) and coronary lumen area (r = 0.39; P = 0.008), but not with coronary blood flow volume (r = −0.01; P = 0.96) or the coronary flow reserve response to adenosine (r = 0.09; P = 0.58). In conclusion, TFC is a simple method of assessing coronary blood velocity but not volumetric flow. While TFC does not predict coronary flow reserve, as a measure of velocity it does provide an assessment of basal microvascular tone, information that is complementary to that afforded by flow reserve measurements. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2001;53:459–463. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.