A little bit more than two years after the first edition, we are pleased to publish the second edition of this book. More than half of the chapters have been remodeled and completed as the result of technical improvements and recently acquired clinical data. During these two years, the number of coronary pressure measurements performed worldwide both during diagnostic and interventional procedures has increased almost exponentially. Most of the initial problems associated with this new approach have been overcome. Many colleagues have explored new research avenues and in many catheterization...

Coronary flow reserve is a functional measure of stenosis severity re flecting the integrated effects of its geometry including percent stenosis, absolute lumen area, length and shape. Its clinical application has been primarily qualitative in non-invasive, perfusion imaging. Measurement of coronary flow reserve during routine coronary arte riography has been an elusive goal. Transit time and indicator dilution techniques for assessing coronary flow reserve at cardiac catheteriza tion are associated with marked variability compared to microspheres or flow meters, thereby making their use...