The case for echocardiography in acute myocardial infarction.
Acute myocardial infarction occurs after a period of profound myocardial ischemia. Ischemia of this degree immediately produces a regional contraction abnormality, which is readily detectable by echocardiography before the onset of necrosis. Echocardiography has been used both experimentally and clinically as a guide to the functional extent of myocardial involvement in evolving infarction and hence provides an objective anatomic basis for electing therapeutic interventions and assessing a prognosis.
Parisi
A F
AF
Department of Medicine, Brockton/West Roxbury Veterans Administration Medical Center, MA 02132.
D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D004452:Echocardiography; D006801:Humans; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology*