ABSTRACT
Intermediate coronary narrowings are generally defi ned as angiographic stenoses narrowed between 40 and 70%. Intermediate coronary disease is extremely prevalent, occurring in a signifi cant proportion of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). These lesions are particularly challenging because one third to one half are likely to be responsible for myocardial ischemia, symptoms, and future cardiac events, while the remainder have a more benign prognosis. Furthermore, the coronary angiogram alone cannot distinguish between these two groups (1). In this chapter, we will review adjunctive methods for invasively assessing intermediate coronary lesions in the cardiac catheterization laboratory and how these techniques guide the decision for coronary revascularization versus medical therapy alone.
