CT detection of acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of contrast-enhanced CT to detect acute myocardial infarction (MI), which has not been systematically assessed. On contrast-enhanced helical chest CT, we retrospectively identified 18 patients (10 women, eight men; mean age, 66 years) with an initial MI. Each patient underwent contrast-enhanced single-detector helical chest CT within 1 month after the MI between March 2001 and June 2002. CONCLUSION: Acute MI is detectable on contrast-enhanced chest CT as an area of decreased left ventricular myocardial enhancement in a specific coronary arterial distribution.