This foundational experimental study establishes the basis for using pressure-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) to assess coronary stenosis severity during angioplasty.
These results provide the experimental basis for determining relative maximum flow or fractional flow reserve of both the epicardial coronary artery and the myocardium, including collateral flow, from pressure measurements during maximum arteriolar vasodilation. With a suitable guide wire for reliably measuring distal coronary pressure clinically, this method may have potential applications during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty for assessing changes in the functional severity of coronary artery stenoses and for estimating collateral flow achievable during occlusion of the coronary artery.
Pijls et al. (1993) studied this question.