Absolute flow measurements by computer analysis of coronary cineangiograms

A method was developed to measure absolute coronary blood flow in all major branches of the coronary circulation using three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of coronary arteries obtained from conventional biplane cineangiograms. Absolute flow was given by the coronary volume filled by contrast medium during the first cycle following the injection divided by the duration of that cycle. A good correlation was found between absolute flow in the left anterior descending coronary artery by this technique and great cardiac vein flow simultaneously measured by thermodilution in patients at baseline and during pacing-induced hyperemia (r=0.82 and SEE=9.8 ml/min)