Feasibility of dynamic CT-based adenosine stress myocardial perfusion imaging to detect and differentiate ischemic and infarcted myocardium in an large experimental porcine animal model

The purpose of the study is feasibility of dynamic CT perfusion imaging to detect and differentiate ischemic and infarcted myocardium in a large porcine model. 12 Country pigs completed either implantation of a 75 % luminal coronary stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery simulating ischemia or balloon-occlusion inducing infarction. Dynamic CT-perfusion imaging (100 kV, 300 mAs), fluorescent microspheres, and histopathology were performed in all models. CT based myocardial blood flow (MBF_CT), blood volume (MBV_CT) and transit constant (K_trans), as well as microsphere’s based myocardial blood flow (MBF_Mic) were derived for each myocardial segment. According to histopathology or microsphere measurements, 20 myocardial segments were classified as infarcted and 23 were ischemic (12 and 14 %, respectively). Across all perfusion states, MBF_CT strongly predicted MBF_Mic (β 0.88 ± 0.12, p < 0.0001). MBF_CT, MBV_CT, and K_trans were significantly lower in ischemic/infarcted when compared to reference myocardium (all p < 0.01). Relative differences of all CT parameters between affected and non-affected myocardium were higher for infarcted when compared to ischemic segments under rest (48.4 vs. 22.6 % and 46.1 vs. 22.9 % for MBF_CT, MBV_CT, respectively). Under stress, MBF_CT was significantly lower in infarcted than in ischemic myocardium (67.8 ± 26 vs. 88.2 ± 22 ml/100 ml/min, p = 0.002). In a large animal model, CT-derived parameters of myocardial perfusion may enable detection and differentiation of ischemic and infarcted myocardium.