Research Progress in Imaging Evaluation of Myocardial Microcirculation

Chunlong Yan,1– 3,* Jinfeng Ma,4,* Tingjun Yan,5 Yanqiu Sun3 1Department of Radiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Heart Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, Jining No.1 People’s Hospital, Jining, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiology, Qinghai Provincial People’s Hospital, Xining, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Hematology, Jining No.1 People’s Hospital, Jining, People’s Republic of China; 5Clinical College of Jining Medical College, Jining, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yanqiu Sun, Department of Radiology, Qinghai Provincial People’s Hospital, Xining, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: The critical role of myocardial microcirculation in maintaining cardiac function has become increasingly recognized with advancements in cardiovascular disease research. Non-invasive imaging techniques, including transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE), myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), are widely used to assess myocardial microcirculation. This review summarizes the principles, clinical applications, and recent research progress of these imaging modalities in evaluating myocardial microcirculation, highlighting their diagnostic value, limitations, and future directions.Keywords: Myocardial microcirculation, transthoracic Doppler echocardiography, myocardial contrast echocardiography, CT myocardial perfusion imaging, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging