Assessing coronary microvascular dysfunction in refractory no-reflow: Insights from dynamic myocardial perfusion scintigraphy and cardiac MRI.

BACKGROUND

Refractory no-reflow correlates with worse outcomes, including larger infarct sizes, impaired ventricular function, and higher mortality rates, despite advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Microvascular obstruction (MVO) and increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) are implicated in the pathogenesis, potentially exacerbating ischemic injury and limiting myocardial recovery. While pressure-wire-derived indices such as the Index of Microcirculatory Resistance (IMR) have been validated against MRI-defined MVO in STEMI populations, their invasive nature and procedural complexity limit broad adoption. In contrast, combining dynamic SPECT and cardiac MRI enables a comprehensive non-invasive functional-structural evaluation of coronary microvascular function in refractory no-reflow.

METHODS

This study is a post hoc analysis of a larger randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the efficacy and safety of intracoronary epinephrine in patients with refractory no-reflow post-PCI (ClinicalTrials.govNCT04573751). We evaluated global coronary flow metrics (RMBF, SMBF, gRFI) derived from SPECT and assessed structural markers of microvascular injury (infarct size, MVO) on MRI. Echocardiographic estimations of LVEDP were also analyzed.

RESULTS

Dynamic SPECT revealed suboptimal stress myocardial blood flow in most patients, highlighting microvascular impairment. Elevated estimated LVEDP was significantly correlated with indexed MVO (rs = 0.678, p = 0.001). Traditional flow reserve metrics showed limited sensitivity, whereas global relative flow increase (gRFI) showed a statistically significant correlation with MVO, highlighting its added value in detecting stress-induced perfusion abnormalities. Given the small sample and potential outlier influence, this observation should be considered hypothesis-generating.

CONCLUSION

Our findings support that functional impairments-particularly elevated LVEDP and reduced gRFI-are associated with refractory no-reflow. In particular, gRFI may serve as a promising non-invasive marker of microvascular dysfunction, complementing structural imaging. None-theless, further validation in larger cohorts is needed. This study advocates for refined multimodal imaging strategies and tailored therapeutic approaches targeting dynamic microvascular disturbances to improve outcomes in refractory no-reflow.