Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction

In the past two decades a number of studies have shown that abnormalities in the function and structure of coronary microcirculation can be detected in several cardiovascular diseases.�On the basis of the clinical setting in which it occurs, coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) can be classified into four types: CMD in the absence of any other cardiac disease; CMD in myocardial diseases; CMD in obstructive epicardial coronary artery disease; and iatrogenic CMD.
In some instances�CMD represents an epiphenomenon, whereas in others it represents an important�marker of risk or may contribute to the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia,�thus becoming a possible therapeutic target.�This book provides an update on coronary�physiology�and a systematic assessment of microvascular abnormalities in cardiovascular diseases,�in the hope that it will assist clinicians in prevention, detection�and management of CMD in their everyday activity.