Imaging of subendocardial myocardial blood flow by dye-staining cardioscopy in patients with coronary artery disease.

This study was carried out to image subendocardial myocardial blood flow (SMBF) by dye-staining cardioscopy (DSC) in patients with coronary artery disease.In patients with epicardial coronary artery disease, SMBF plays a direct and critical role in determining the extent and severity of cardiac function and symptoms. If SMBF could be clinically imaged instantaneously, the effects of medical and interventional treatment on it can be directly evaluated. However, there are no clinically available methods for direct and real-time imaging of SMBF. Twenty-three patients [6 with chest pain syndrome (CPS); 3 with vasospastic angina pectoris (VSA); 9 with angina pectoris due to organic coronary stenosis (AP); 5 with old myocardial infarction OMI)] underwent DSC of the left ventricle by selective intracoronary injection of 1 mL of 2.5% Evans blue dye solution (EB). Five patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) underwent DSC before and after coronary stent deployment. The endocardial surface was stained diffusely blue with EB indicating normal blood flow in patients with CPS; stained in a patchy fashion indicating patchy blood flow in patients with VSA; and stained in a patchy fashion or not stained indicating patchy or no blood flow in those with AP and OMI. Myocardial staining with EB was observed after coronary stent deployment in all patients with AMI, indicating restoration of the SMBF. It is evident that SMBF could be imaged by DSC. This imaging modality is useful for the evaluation of therapies and accurate guidance of transendocardial therapies of the ischemic myocardium.