Carotid intima-media thickness in patients with slow coronary flow and its association with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND

The slow coronary flow (SCF) is characterized by angiographically normal or near-normal coronary arteries with delayed progression of the contrast agent into distal vasculature. We aimed to investigate neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N/L) ratio and the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) value in patients with SCF compared to patients with newly diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD) and normal patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We enrolled 60 consecutive patients with SCF, 68 patients with CAD, and 72 normal patients. The association between thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count, CIMT, and N/L ratio and other clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated.

RESULTS

The N/L ratio was significantly higher not only in patients with SCF but also in patients with CAD, compared to those of controls. The N/L ratio was positively and moderately correlated with CIMT in the whole study population.

CONCLUSIONS

The NL ratio is significantly associated with reduced coronary blood flow, and elevated N/L ratio might be an independent predictor for the presence of SCF.