Abstract
Coronary artery disease is a major healthcare problem. Acute myocardial infarction is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Contemporary therapy is percutaneous coronary intervention, performed by balloon angioplasty and stent placement. Percutaneous coronary intervention is often complicated by microvascular obstruction (MVO), characterized by poor microvascular perfusion of myocardium distal to the site of primary occlusion. MVO is a multifactorial condition that is associated with adverse ventricular remodeling, arrythmia, greater infarct size, and poor prognosis. Given the high prevalence and worsened outcomes associated with MVO, there is a clear need for an innovative approach to restore microvascular perfusion. Our group and others have investigated sonoreperfusion therapy for the treatment of MVO. This technique involves the application of both diagnostic imaging and therapeutic ultrasound pulses to the site of MVO in the presence of transiting microbubbles. This review will discuss the pathophysiology of MVO and the clinical translation of sonoreperfusion therapy.
Keywords
Sonoreperfusion Therapy; Microvascular Obstruction; Coronary artery disease; percutaneous coronary intervention; angioplasty; stent