title: Incremental value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance over echocardiography in the detection of acute and chronic myocardial infarction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although echocardiography is used as a first line imaging modality, its accuracy to detect acute and chronic myocardial infarction (MI) in relation to infarct characteristics as assessed with late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) is not well described.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred-forty-one echocardiograms performed in 88 first acute ST-elevation MI (STEMI) patients, 2 (IQR1-4) days (n = 61) and 102 (IQR92-112) days post-MI (n = 80), were pooled with echocardiograms of 36 healthy controls. 61 acute and 80 chronic echocardiograms were available for analysis (53 patients had both acute and chronic echocardiograms). Two experienced echocardiographers, blinded to clinical and CMR data, randomly evaluated all 177 echocardiograms for segmental wall motion abnormalities (SWMA). This was compared with LGE-CMR determined infarct characteristics, performed 104 ± 11 days post-MI. Enhancement on LGE-CMR matched the infarct-related artery territory in all patients (LAD 31%, LCx 12% and RCA 57%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity of echocardiography to detect acute MI was 78.7% and 61.3% for chronic MI; specificity was 80.6%. Undetected MI were smaller, less transmural, and less extensive (6% [IQR3-12] vs. 15% [IQR9-24], 50 ± 14% vs. 61 ± 15%, 7 ± 3 vs. 9 ± 3 segments, p < 0.001 for all) and associated with higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and non-anterior location as compared to detected MI (58 ± 5% vs. 46 ± 7%, p < 0.001 and 82% vs. 63%, p = 0.03). After multivariate analysis, LVEF and infarct size were the strongest independent predictors of detecting chronic MI (OR 0.78 [95%CI 0.68-0.88], p < 0.001 and OR 1.22 [95%CI0.99-1.51], p = 0.06, respectively). Increasing infarct transmurality was associated with increasing SWMA (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients presenting with STEMI, and thus a high likelihood of SWMA, the sensitivity of echocardiography to detect SWMA was higher in the acute than the chronic phase. Undetected MI were smaller, less extensive and less transmural, and associated with non-anterior localization and higher LVEF. Further work is needed to assess the diagnostic accuracy in patients with non-STEMI.
authors: Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors: Caroline
authors: C
authors: Jaarsma
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Schalla
authors: Emile C
authors: EC
authors: Cheriex
authors: Martijn W
authors: MW
authors: Smulders
authors: Ivo
authors: I
authors: van Dongen
authors: Patricia J
authors: PJ
authors: Nelemans
authors: Anton P M
authors: AP
authors: Gorgels
authors: Joachim E
authors: JE
authors: Wildberger
authors: Harry J G M
authors: HJ
authors: Crijns
authors: Sebastiaan C A M
authors: SC
authors: Bekkers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003287:Contrast Media; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA