Do mechanical markers of myocardial ischaemia predict the transmural extent of myocardial infarction in man?

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to explore the relationship between the transmural extent of myocardial necrosis and mechanical markers of myocardial ischaemia in man. METHODS: A group of 40 patients with previous Q-wave myocardial infarction and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 27 ± 11% was studied by cine and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Necrotic areas of delayed contrast enhancement were present in every patient and involved 20 ± 8% of left ventricular myocardium. In involved segments, the transmural extent of contrast enhancement varied from 5% to 100%, being on average 38 ± 25% of the wall thickness. End-diastolic left ventricular wall thickness and systolic wall thickening were lower in contrast-enhanced segments than in the other segments (P < 0.001). Furthermore, although left ventricular wall thickness and systolic wall thickening decreased as the transmural extent of contrast enhancement increased, the correlations were weak (r = -0.382 and -0.45, respectively). Finally, a delayed contrast enhancement was present in 89% of akinetic and in 94% of dyskinetic segments; however, contrast enhancement was also present in 18% of the segments with normal wall motion and in 56% of hypokinetic segments. CONCLUSIONS: Although mechanical markers of myocardial ischaemia substantially reflect the transmural extent of myocardial infarction, none of them can be considered as a substitute for the direct observation of necrotic tissue and its transmural extent, as provided by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. © 2006 Italian Federation of Cardiology.