Abstract: Objective To explore the relationship between coronary collateral circulation following percutaneous coronary
intervention (PCI) for a single left anterior descending artery and the recovery of cardiac function. Methods A total of 625
patients with coronary heart disease were retrospectively analyzed, who received selective coronary angiography
demonstrating lesions involving a single left anterior descending artery and underwent stent placement between January, 2010
and December, 2012. According to Rentrop’s classification, the patients were divided into group A (n=280) with Rentrop grades
1-3 and group B (n=325) with Rentrop grade 0. Group A were further divided into 3 subgroups according to the source of
collateral circulation, namely group A1 (n=200) with contralateral collateral circulation, group A2 (n=44) with contralateral +
ipsilateral collateral circulation, and group A3 (n=36) with ipsilateral collateral circulation. The outcomes of cardiac function
recovery were compared between groups A and B and between the 3 subgroups in group A. Results Compared with patients
without collateral circulation, patients with collateral coronary circulation showed greater left ventricular ejection fraction
increment and reduction in brain natriuretic peptide and red cell volume distribution width with also lower expansion left
ventricular end-diastolic volume. Among the 3 subgroups in group A, cardiac function improvement was the most obvious in
patients with contralateral+ ipsilateral collateral circulation (group A2) followed by those in group A3, and was the worst in
group A1. Conclusion The presence of collateral coronary circulation promotes cardiac function recovery in patients receiving
PCI for lesions involving a single left anterior descending artery. Patients with contralateral+ipsilateral collateral circulation
have the best cardiac function improvement followed by those with contralateral collateral circulation.