What does no reflow mean?

What does no reflow mean?

Introduction and Definition The concept of “no reflow” refers to a state of myocardial tissue hypoperfusion in the presence of a patent epicardial coronary artery. The underlying cause of no reflow is microvascular obstruction, which may be produced by various mechanisms.

What is myocardial blush?

An angiographic term referring to the adequacy of perfusion and blood flow through an area served by a coronary artery; the longer the blush persists, the poorer the blood flow.

What causes no-reflow?

In summary, the cause of no-reflow can be classified into four main pathogenetic components: distal athero-thrombotic embolization, ischemia-related and/or reperfusion-related injury, as well as the susceptibility of coronary microcirculation to injury.

What is reflow phenomenon?

When a coronary artery is occluded, detrimental changes occur in the cardiac capillaries and arterioles. After relief of the occlusion, blood flow to the ischemic tissue may still be impeded, a phenomenon known as no reflow.

What is TIMI flow?

The TIMI (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction) flow grade is a widely used method for the assessment of coronary artery flow in acute coronary syndromes. Flow in coronary arteries is classified as grade 0 (no flow), grade 1 (penetration without perfusion), grade 2 (partial perfusion) or grade 3 (complete perfusion).

What is nuclear medicine myocardial perfusion stress test?

Myocardial perfusion is an imaging test. It’s also called a nuclear stress test. It is done to show how well blood flows through the heart muscle. It also shows how well the heart muscle is pumping.

What is a hibernating myocardium?

Hibernating myocardium is ischemic myocardium supplied by a narrowed coronary artery in which ischemic cells remain viable but contraction is chronically depressed.

What is contraction band necrosis?

Contraction band necrosis is a type of uncontrolled cell death (necrosis) unique to cardiac myocytes and thought to arise in reperfusion from hypercontraction, which results in sarcolemmal rupture. It is a characteristic histologic finding of a recent myocardial infarction (heart attack) that was partially reperfused.

What is ti mi?

The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Score is used to determine the likelihood of ischemic events or mortality in patients with unstable angina or non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).

Are there any cases of No reflow angioplasty?

The no-reflow phenomenon is recognized angiographically in >20% of patients undergoing primary angioplasty for AMI and in <2% of elective PCI cases.

Why was the No reflow phenomenon brought to light?

It was percutaneous coronary interventions in particular that brought the no-reflow phenomenon to light because it could be seen with the naked eye in human hearts in the setting of acute myocardial infarction. Understanding the pathophysiology of the no-reflow phenomenon is the key for managing this condition.

What does no reflow mean in medical terms?

After the procedure, coronary flow in the graft was severely reduced, and he sustained a myocardial infarction in the subtended myocardial territory. The concept of “no reflow” refers to a state of myocardial tissue hypoperfusion in the presence of a patent epicardial coronary artery.

Why does the No reflow area increase after reperfusion?

Experimental studies showed that the no-reflow area increases with time after reperfusion. 18–20 Although it is clear that abnormalities at the level of the microvasculature caused the no-reflow phenomenon, the exact mechanism is uncertain; a variety of factors probably contribute to it (the Figure ).