The understanding of microvascular dysfunction without evidence of epicardial coronary artery disease pales in comparison with that of obstructive epicardial coronary artery disease. A primary limitation in the past had been the lack of development of noninvasive methods of detecting and quantifying microvascular dysfunction. This limitation has particularly affected the ability to study the pathophysiology, morbidity, and treatment of this disease. More recently, almost all of the noninvasive cardiac imaging modalities have been used to quantify blood flow and advance understanding of microvascular dysfunction.
Keywords: cardiac magnetic resonance; computed tomography; echocardiography; microvascular dysfunction; positron emission tomography; quantitative perfusion.
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