How does collateral circulation help people with heart disease?
When a collateral vessel on the heart enlarges, it lets blood flow from an open coronary artery to an adjacent one or further downstream on the same artery. In this way, collateral vessels grow and form a kind of “detour” around a blockage. This collateral circulation provides alternate routes of blood flow to the heart in cases when the heart isn’t getting the blood supply it needs (myocardial ischemia) (mi”o-KAR’de-al is-KE’me-ah). How does collateral circulation help people with stroke? When an artery in the brain is blocked due to stroke or transient ischemic (is-KEM’ik) attack (TIA), open collateral vessels can (but not always) allow blood to “detour” around the blockage. This collateral circulation restores blood flow to the affected part of the brain. However, not all people can develop “collateral circulation,” so prevention of heart disease and stroke should always be the gold standard.
