ADVANCES IN CARDIOLOGY: VIRTUAL IMAGE-BASED FFR TECHNOLOGIES AND STEM CELL REGENERATIVE BIOLOGY

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, necessitating precise diagnostic and effective therapeutic strategies. The advent of visual image–based fractional flow reserve (FFR) technologies—such as FFR derived from computed tomography (FFR-CT), angiography-based FFR (vFFR, QFR, caFFR), and artificial intelligence–assisted computational models—has revolutionized the physiological assessment of coronary lesions.[1] These techniques integrate advanced imaging with hemodynamic modeling to noninvasively estimate lesion-specific ischemia, offering improved accuracy, safety, and workflow efficiency compared to conventional wire-based FFR.Parallel to diagnostic advancements, stem cell–based regenerative biology has emerged as a promising therapeutic frontier in ischemic heart disease.[2] Pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, and induced cardiac progenitors demonstrate potential to repair myocardial injury, promote neovascularization, and restore cardiac function.[3] Ongoing translational research seeks to enhance cell survival, integration, and paracrine efficacy through tissue engineering and gene-editing approaches. This review integrates current evidence on visual image–based FFR technologies and stem cell–mediated cardiac regeneration, highlighting their complementary roles in the contemporary management of CAD—from noninvasive physiological assessment to myocardial repair. The convergence of advanced imaging analytics and regenerative medicine heralds a new era of precision diagnosis and personalized cardiology.