RESUMEN
Background and Objective: The coronary slow flow phenomenon [CSFP] is a coronary artery disease with a benign course, but its pathological mechanisms are not yet fully understood
The purpose of this controlled study was to investigate the cellular content of blood in patients diagnosed with CSFP and the relationship of this with coronary flow rates
Methods: Selective coronary angiographies of 3368 patients were analyzed to assess Jhromboiysis in Myocardial Infarction [TIMI] frame count [TFC] values. Seventy eight of them had CSFP, and their demographic and laboratory findings were compared with 61 patients with normal coronary flow
Results: Patients' demographic characteristics were similar in both groups. Mean corrected TFC [cTFC] values were significantly elevated in CSFP patients [p<0.001]
Furthermore, hematocrit and hemoglobin values, and eosinophil and basophil counts of the CSFP patients were significantly elevated compared to the values obtained in the control group [p=0.005, p=0.047, p=0.001 and p=0.002, respectively]
The increase observed in hematocrit and eosinophil levels showed significant correlations with increased TFC values [r=0.288 and r=0.217, respectively]
Conclusion: Significant changes have been observed in the cellular composition of blood in patients diagnosed with CSFP as compared to the patients with normal coronary blood flow. The increases in hematocrit levels and in the eosinophil and basophil counts may have direct or indirect effects on the rate of coronary blood flow
RESUMEN
To analyze the coronary angiograms of patients with symptomatic heart disease in order to determine the frequency and characteristics of coronary-cameral communications [CCCs] in a single center. The coronary angiograms of 16,573 patients with symptomatic heart disease performed from November 2001 to January 2011 were analyzed. The diagnosis of coronary fistula and coronary-cameral microcommunications [CCMCs] was made according to previously defined criteria. Of the 16,573 patients, 15 [0.09%; 8 males and 7 females, mean age 63 +/- 12 years] had CCCs, while coronary fistulas were identified in 2 [0.01%]. In the first patient, the coronary fistula arose from the branches of the left anterior descending [LAD] artery and the right coronary artery [RCA] and drained into the right ventricle. In the second patient, the fistula originated from branches of the LAD artery, the circumflex [Cx] artery and the RCA and drained into the left ventricle. In 7 patients, the CCMCs originated from the LAD artery. In 3 patients, the Cx artery was the origin. The CCMCs originated from the RCA in 2 patients. In 1 patient the CCMC took its origin from the RCA and the Cx artery, while in 2 patients the CCMCs were associated with intracardiac masses in the left atrium and the right atrium, respectively. The prevalence of CCCs in adult patients was low and that of large coronary fistulas was even lower; coronary fistulas are probably very rare in adult patients because the majority of them are detected and treated during childhood