Noninvasive assessment of coronary blood flow parameters during an exercise test in patients with arterial hypertension

Purpose. The aim of our study was to non-invasively investigate the parameters of coronary blood flow during exercise in patients with arterial hypertension. Materials and Methods. We enrolled 144 patients with arterial hypertension. All patients performed supine bicycle symptoms-limited tests. Throughout the exercise, the diastolic peaks of coronary flow velocity in left anterior descending artery (LAD) were measured. The values of diastolic velocity before and at maximal exercise, coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) and difference between peak and rest velocities were calculated offline. The control group consisted of 145 healthy persons. Results. The rest blood flow velocity in LAD was 33.0±8.4 cm/s, the peak velocity in LAD was 80.3±16.5 cm/s, difference of velocities was 48.2±13.9 cm/s, CFVR was 2.55±0.56. Women and men were comparable in velocity parameters during exercise test. There was no significant correlation between mass/index of left ventricle mass and velocity data in LAD. Hypertensive patients were comparable in investigated coronary artery flow parameters with healthy group. Conclusions. During supine bicycle tests, the patients with arterial hypertension have a similar coronary artery flow velocity profile with healthy persons.