Effect of hypertension and hypertrophy on coronary microvascular pressure

We tested the hypothesis that transmural differences in coronary microvascular pressures may be greater in the setting of hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. Epicardial and endocardial microvascular pressures were measured in isolated lidocaine-arrested hearts during adenosine vasodilation. In both normotensive (n = 19) and hypertensive (one clip, one kidney, n = 10) dogs, microvascular pressures in endocardial arterioles at 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 mm Hg of left main coronary perfusion pressures were lower than in epicardial arterioles (p < 0.05 at all perfusion pressures). The pressures in epicardial arterioles as a percentage of the left main coronary perfusion pressure were similar in normotensive versus hypertensive hearts at all perfusion pressures. In contrast, the pressures in endocardium at 90 and 100 mm Hg of perfusion pressure were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in dogs with hypertension and hypertrophy than in the controls (41 ± 4 versus 50 ± 2 and 40 ± 4 versus 50 ± 3 mm Hg at 90 and 100 mm Hg of perfusion pressure, respectively). Thus, there is a greater transmural resistance to microvascular perfusion in hearts with myocardial hypertrophy secondary to hypertension. This is likely due to differences in the vascular anatomy, secondary to hypertension and hypertrophy, and may contribute to vulnerabilities in subendocardial ischemia encountered in this condition.