Imaging Physiology/Fractional Flow Reserve

Overview

Imaging physiology, or fractional flow reserve (FFR), is a noninvasive procedure for measuring how much blood flow is restricted by a blockage in an artery. A special, pressure-sensing guidewire is fed through a catheter to the site of a stenosis, or blockage, in an artery.

When placed across the blockage, the wire measures blood flow and pressure before and after the blockage. If the blood pressure in the artery on the side of the artery beyond the blockage is found to be significantly reduced, that blockage may be a good candidate for angioplasty and stenting to clear the blockage and prop the artery open.