Why the study?
Does exercise training accelerate the growth of coronary collateral vessels in people with coronary artery disease?
Does exercise training accelerate the growth of coronary collateral vessels in people with coronary artery disease?
Current evidence on whether exercise improves coronary collateralization in humans is inconclusive, requiring further study with refined imaging techniques.
Exercise should not yet be prescribed to promote coronary collaterals; leaves open whether refined human trials can confirm animal findings.
In brief: An alternative route for blood supply in the heart-ie, coronary collateral vessels-can save the life of a person with coronary artery disease. Debate continues as to whether exercise training accelerates the growth of collateral vessels. Animal research has produced positive results, but studies of humans have been disappointing, largely because of problems in experimental design and methodology. Advances in technology-such as further refinements in radionuclide exercise testing methods-may help provide answers to this intriguing question.
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Kavanagh et al. (1989) studied this question.