A Narrative Review of the Classical and Modern Diagnostic Methods of the No-Reflow Phenomenon

Abstract

The incidence of the no-reflow (NR) phenomenon varies depending on the diagnostic criteria used. If just the angiographic criteria are considered (i.e., a degree of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction ≤2), it will be found that the incidence of NR is quite low; on the other hand, when the myocardial NR is taken into account (i.e., a decrease in the quality of myocardial reperfusion expressed by the degree of myocardial blush), the real incidence is higher. Thus, the early establishment of a diagnosis of NR and the administration of specific treatment can lead to its reversibility. Otherwise, regardless of the follow-up period, patients with NR have a poor prognosis. In the present work, we offer a comprehensive perspective on diagnostic tools for NR detection, for improving the global management of patients with arterial microvasculature damage, which is a topic of major interest in the cardiology field, due to its complexity and its link with severe clinical outcomes.