Intramyocardial pressure and coronary extravascular resistance.

Intramyocardial pressure is an indicator of coronary extravascular resistance. During systole, pressure in the subendocardium exceeds left ventricular intracavitary pressure; whereas pressure in the subepicardium is lower than left ventricular intracavitary pressure. Conversely, during diastole, subepicardial pressure exceeds both subendocardial pressure and left ventricular pressure. These observations suggest that coronary flow during systole is possible only in the subepicardial layers. During diastolic, however, a greater driving pressure is available for perfusion of the subendocardial layers relative to the subepicardial layers. On this basis, measurements of intramyocardial pressure contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms of regulation of the phasic and transmural distribution of coronary blow flow.