title: Left ventricular remodeling in the year after first anterior myocardial infarction: a quantitative analysis of contractile segment lengths and ventricular shape.
abstract: Infarct expansion after myocardial infarction results in early ventricular enlargement and distortion of ventricular geometry. To characterize the components of late volume enlargement, biplane left ventriculography was performed in 52 patients 3 weeks and 1 year after a first anterior myocardial infarction. Biplane diastolic circumference and contractile and noncontractile segment lengths were measured. Global geometry was evaluated by using a sphericity index (angiographic volume of the ventricle divided by the volume of a sphere with the same circumference). Regional geometry was assessed by measurement of endocardial curvature, an important determinant of wall tension. End-diastolic volume was enlarged at baseline and increased at 1 year (230 +/- 42 to 244 +/- 55 ml, p = 0.01) as a result of increases in contractile segment length (34 +/- 5 to 37 +/- 5 cm, p less than 0.001) and sphericity index (0.74 +/- 0.07 to 0.76 +/- 0.08, p less than 0.001), whereas the noncontractile segment length decreased (15 +/- 6 to 12 +/- 6 cm, p less than 0.005). Curvature analysis revealed a flattening of presumably high tension concavity at the anterobasal (-6.0 +/- 4.0 to -4.5 +/- 3.7, p less than 0.01) and inferior (-4.5 +/- 2.0 to -3.6 +/- 2.1, p less than 0.005) margins of the infarct and less bulging of the anterior wall (9.4 +/- 2.5 to 8.2 +/- 2.3, p less than 0.001). Patients selected for late enlargement (diastolic volume increase greater than 20 ml, n = 19) had an increase in sphericity (0.75 +/- 0.05 to 0.80 +/- 0.08, p less than 0.005) and in diastolic circumference (54 +/- 3 to 56 +/- 4 cm, p less than 0.001) secondary to elongation of the contractile segment (32 +/- 4 to 36 +/- 4 cm, p = 0.001) at 1 year. Thus, late ventricular enlargement after anterior infarction results from an increase in contractile segment length and a change in ventricular geometry and is not a result of progressive infarct expansion. In the group of patients at high risk for late ventricular enlargement because of persistent occlusion of the infarct-related vessel, captopril therapy attenuated late volume enlargement by preventing these changes in contractile segment length and chamber geometry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lamas
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Vaughan
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pfeffer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002216:Captopril / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002306:Cardiac Volume / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011859:Radiography; D013997:Time Factors; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002216:Captopril