Foundation for innovation
in Cardiometabolism and Nutrition

Portraits of Young Researchers: Omar EL ZOUHAYRI

Improving the Diagnosis and Management of Patients with Suspected Microvascular Angina

Institute of Cardiology – Pitié Salpêtrière and UMR-S 1166. Research Unit on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases.

2025: Poster Award—IHU ICAN Scientific Day, for the project “Nailfold Capillaroscopic Findings in Patients With Suspected Microvascular Angina”

Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Antiplatelet Therapy in Acute Myocardial Infarction With Cardiogenic Shock 2026 Anthony Elhadad 1, Omar El Zouhayri 1, Johanne Silvain 1, Mathieu Kerneis 1, David Sulman 1, Niki Procopi 1, Perrine Devos 1, Frederic Beaupré 1, Pierre Charleux 1, Louis Giovachini 1, Arnaud Ferrante 1, Nassim Braik 2, Paul Guedeney 1, Olivier Barthélémy 1, Alain Combes 3, Juliette Chommeloux 3, Stéphanie Rouanet 4, Gilles Montalescot 1, Michel Zeitouni 5; ACTION Study Group.

After completing his medical studies at the University of Nantes (2015–2021), Omar El Zouhayri joined the AP-HP in November 2021 as a cardiology resident, while continuing his academic studies at Université Paris Cité. His interest in research stemmed from his clinical practice, where he encountered patients presenting with cardiovascular symptoms despite the absence of coronary artery blockages.
This field, which is still not well understood and lies at the intersection of interventional cardiology, vascular pathophysiology, and personalized medicine, led him to devote himself to the study of coronary microvascular dysfunction.
As part of the Atherothrombosis and Applied Pharmacology team at UMRS_1166-ICAN, her work aims to better characterize the links between coronary microcirculation and peripheral microcirculation, with the goal of improving the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected microvascular angina.

Omar El Zouhayri’s project explores the hypothesis that coronary microvascular dysfunction, which is involved in non-obstructive coronary angina (NOCA), may be part of a more systemic microvascular disorder.
The prospective study includes patients evaluated for suspected microvascular angina using invasive tests of coronary microcirculation. Concurrently, periungual videocapillaroscopy is used to noninvasively analyze abnormalities in cutaneous microcirculation, according to the EULAR classification.
Preliminary results show a high prevalence of capillary abnormalities in these patients, including capillary sparseness, dilated capillaries, or hemorrhages. Although the statistical association with coronary microvascular dysfunction remains to be confirmed, these data suggest a potential link between coronary and peripheral disease, which warrants further investigation in larger cohorts.