title: Assessment of intramyocardial hemorrhage by T1-weighted cardiovascular magnetic resonance in reperfused acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intramyocardialhemorrhage (IMH) reflects severe reperfusion injury in acute myocardial infarction. Non-invasive detection of IMH by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) may serve as a surrogate marker to evaluate the effect of preventive measures to reduce reperfusion injury and hence provide additional prognostic information. We sought to investigate whether IMH could be detected by CMR exploiting the T1 shortening effect of methemoglobin in an experimental model of acute myocardial infarction. The results were compared to T2-weighthed short tau inversion recovery (T2-STIR), and T2*-weighted(T2*W) sequences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IMH was induced in ten 40 kg pigs by 50-min balloon occlusion of the mid LAD followed by reperfusion. Between 4-9 days (average 4.8) post-injury, the left ventricular myocardium was assessed by T1-weigthed Inversion Recovery(T1W-IR), T2-STIR, and T2*W sequences. All CMR images were matched to histopathology and compared with the area of IMH. The difference between the size of the IMH area detected on T1W-IR images and pathology was -1.6 ± 11.3% (limits of agreement, -24%-21%), for the T2*W images the difference was -0.1 ± 18.3% (limits of agreement, -36.8%-36.6%), and for T2-STIR the difference was 8.0 ± 15.5% (limits of agreement, -23%-39%). By T1W IR the diagnostic sensitivity of IMH was 90% and specificity 70%, for T2*W imaging the sensitivity was 70% and specificity 50%, and for T2-STIR sensitivity for imaging IMH was 50% and specificity 60%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  T1-weigthed non-contrast enhanced CMR detects IMH with high sensitivity and specificity and may become a diagnostic tool for detection of IMH in patients with myocardial infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery T, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby, Brendstrupsgaardsvej 100, Aarhus N DK-8200, Denmark. fjord@mr.au.dk
authors.forename: Steen Fjord
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Samuel A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Thrysøe
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Robich
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Paaske
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ringgaard
authors.forename: Hans Erik
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Bøtker
authors.forename: Esben S S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Won Yong
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000379:methods*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors