title: Contrast echocardiography versus gated single photon emission computed tomography for the assessment of parameters of left ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Assessment of parameters of left ventricular (LV) remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has both therapeutic and prognostic implication. Contrast echocardiography (CE) has the advantage of simultaneously assessing myocardial perfusion and LV remodeling. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of CE to assess LV remodeling after AMI compared with technetium-99m sestamibi gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Accordingly, 36 consecutive patients underwent gated SPECT, CE, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) 7 to 10 days after AMI. LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and LV end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Absolute differences for LVEF and LV end-diastolic volume between CMR and CE were significantly smaller than that between CMR and SPECT. CE estimate of LVEF more accurately classified patients into LVEF less than 35%, 35% to 45%, and greater than 45% (agreement = 83%, kappa = 0.66 with CMR) compared with SPECT (agreement = 61%, kappa = 0.36 with CMR).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CE is more accurate than gated SPECT for the estimation of LV remodeling after AMI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Tiong Keng
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burden
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Janardhanan
authors.forename: Girish
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dwivedi
authors.forename: Chai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ping
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Dudley J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Pennell
authors.forename: Roxy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Senior
mesh_terms: D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D015637:Gated Blood-Pool Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling