MRI for the assessment of myocardial viability.
Accurate distinction between viable and infarcted myocardium is important for assessment of patients who have cardiac dysfunction. Through the technique of delayed-enhancement MRI (DE-MRI), viable and infarcted myocardium can be simultaneously identified in a manner that closely correlates with histopathology findings. This article provides an overview of experimental data establishing the physiologic basis of DE-MRI-evidenced hyperenhancement as a tissue-specific marker of myocardial infarction. Clinical data concerning the utility of transmural extent of hyperenhancement for predicting response to medical and revascularization therapy are reviewed. Studies directly comparing DE-MRI to other viability imaging techniques are presented, and emerging applications for DE-MRI are discussed.
Weinsaft
Jonathan W
JW
Greenberg Division of Cardiology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 525 East 68th Street, Starr-4, New York, NY 10021, USA. jww2001@med.cornell.edu
Klem
Igor
I
Judd
Robert M
RM