To investigate transmural variations in coronary flow reserve, we studied 20 anesthetized dogs with a Gregg cannula in the left main coronary artery. In 11 dogs, radionuclide-labeled microspheres were injected over a range of perfusion pressures in the control state and during maximal coronary vasodilation produced with chromonar or adenosine. In another nine dogs, control, reactive hyperemic, and adenosine-vasodilated flows were compared at the same perfusion pressures. Adenosine dilated vessels more than did reactive hyperemia, which in turn vasodilated more than did hypoperfusion. Adenosine or chromonar vasodilated more than did hypoperfusion alone in all layers of the heart at perfusion pressures as low as 30 mmHg (P less than 0.05). This effect was greatest in the subepicardium and least in the subendocardium and varied with perfusion pressure (P less than 0.05). Subendocardial-to-subepicardial flow ratios declined with diminishing perfusion pressure despite the fact that flow reserve was present in all layers. We conclude that exhaustion of flow reserve is not the mechanism by which subendocardial ischemia occurs.