[Collateral blood flow in the myocardium: the role of endothelial growth factor].

Collateral blood flow is a natural way of compensation of blood supply of ischemic myocardium however its efficacy is highly individual. Revelation of potentially modifiable factors acting on which it would be possible to change the state of collateral blood flow will allow to find an approach to improvement of prognosis and quality of life of patients with ischemic heart disease. In this review we show significance of collateral blood flow, analyze mechanisms of its formation, and stress the role of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and its genetic polymorphism.