The predictors of coronary slow flow in patients undergoing coronary angiography

A new challenge in coronary artery disease treatment has emerged, where specific populations exhibit ischemic symptoms without any obstruction in the epicardial coronary artery. Instead, they exhibit slow coronary contrast flow, referred to as coronary slow flow (CSF). This study aims to identify several predictors of CSF.

This case–control study was conducted at the Regional General Hospital of West Nusa Tenggara Province in Indonesia from December 2016 to February 2024. The study involved sixty subjects, with 30 in each group of CSF and normal epicardial coronary artery angiogram (NECA). CSF is enforced by the TIMI frame count (TFC) greater than 27 frames. Among all the predictors studied, coronary artery diameter (p < 0.001) and random blood sugar (p = 0.049) were found to affect the CSF significantly. In the multivariate analysis, coronary artery diameter remained a significant predictor (adjusted OR 10.08, 95% CI 2.64–38.50, p < 0.001), with an optimal cut-off point of more than 3.56 mm, a sensitivity of 76.7%, and a specificity of 70.7% (AUC = 0.787, p < 0.001).

The coronary artery diameter strongly predicts CSF in patients undergoing coronary angiography.