Cutaneous microvascular function in patients with obstructive or non-obstructive coronary artery disease evaluated by laser speckle contrast imaging

Abstract Objective This study aimed to compare cutaneousmicrovascular function in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients including obstructive CAD (ObCAD) (n = 133) and non-obstructive CAD (NObCAD) (n = 129) with that of age and gender matched healthy controls (n = 83) using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) coupled with post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH). Methods LSCI system was used to assess subjects' cutaneousblood flow at rest and during PORH. CAD patients were divided into ObCAD and NObCAD group based on coronary angiography results. Results Microvascular reactivity induced by PORH was significantly reduced in NObCAD group in comparison with control or ObCAD group (p   0.05). Conclusion NObCAD patients are more likely to develop cutaneousmicrovascular dysfunction than ObCAD patients, which may reflect the difference in the underlying mechanisms of myocardial ischemia.