Relationship between function and perfusion early after acute myocardial infarction

To assess the relationship between baseline left ventricle function, functional reserve and resting myocardial perfusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). After AMI the presence of dysfunctioning but viable myocardium plays a determinant role in clinical outcome. Regional ventricular function was evaluated by echocardiography both in resting conditions and during dobutamine infusion (10 g/kg/min). Perfusion was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging in a single slice approach where the first pass of an intravenously injected bolus of gadolinium-based contrast agent was followed through six regions of interest within the myocardium. In each patient a region with normal function was used as reference and the cross-correlation coefficient (CCC), which described the myocardial perfusion relatively to the reference region (CCC = 1 means equivalent perfusion), was obtained for the other five myocardial regions. Twenty-two patients were enrolled into the study. Sixty-one segments had normal function and normal perfusion (CCC = 0.92 ± 0.23). The perfusion deficit was more marked in the 29 regions with resting akinesia–dyskinesia than in the 20 hypokinetic regions (CCC = 0.71 ± 0.45 vs. 0.84 ± 0.23; p < 0.05). Out of the 29 regions with resting akinesia–dyskinesia the 13 segments which showed functional improvement following dobutamine had a higher resting perfusion than the 16 segments which were unresponsive to dobutamine (CCC = 0.83 ± 0.32 vs. 0.61 ± 0.52, p < 0.05). Similarly, out of the 20 regions with resting hypokinesia the 11 segments having functional reserve showed an higher resting perfusion than the segments which did not (0.96 ± 0.21 vs. 0.69 ± 0.19; p < 0.05). Early after AMI, the perfusion deficit reflects the severity of the mechanical dysfunction. In regions with baseline dyssynergy resting perfusion is, in general, higher when contractile reserve can be elicited by stress-echo.