The interventional cardiologist makes a provisional diagnosis of the no-reflow phenomenon in the presence of an acute reduction in coronary flow despite a widely patent epicardial vessel during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Its occurrence is recognized as a column of contrast arising distal to the original target stenosis that does not rapidly clear [1–3]. The precise pathophysiolog...

No-reflow or slow-flow phenomenon is one of the serious complications of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in acute myocardial infarction, as well as during elective procedures, and is an independent predictor of myocardial infarction, and in-hospital and long-term mortality. We present a case of an elective PCI of native coronary artery lesion that was assessed to be vulnerable based o...

The achievement of adequate and prompt myocardial reperfusion in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the most important determinant of recovery of ventricular function at follow-up. This explains the great attention given to the so-called no-reflow phenomenon, which is associated with extensive myocardial damage and a high prevalence of future cardiac events after AMI. The no-reflow phenomenon...

To try to unravel the complexity and heterogeneity of the "no-reflow" phenomenon and its underlying mechanisms, we studied tissue perfusion in reperfused heart muscle by using tracer microspheres in an anesthetized dog model of 90-minute coronary occlusion followed by reperfusion for 2 1/2 hours, 24 hours, or 1 week. Regional myocardial blood flow was determined both in basal flow conditions an...

One hypothesis on the pathogenesis of post-ischemic-anoxic encephalopathy is impaired cerebral perfusion or the no-reflow phenomenon. Therapies aimed at preventing the development of this phenomenon are increased cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and hyperventilation or hypercapnia. Using a dog model in which we have described the progressive development of post-ischemic (PI) cerebral hypoperfu...