Diagnostic value of late gadolinium-enhanced MRI and first-pass dynamic MRI for predicting functional recovery in patients after acute myocardial infarction

Purpose. The aim of this study was to determine the comparative diagnostic values of late gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and first-pass dynamic MRI for predicting functional recovery of regional myocardial contraction in patients early after acute myocardial infarction. Materials and methods. First-pass and late-enhanced MRI were performed in 18 patients 5.5 ± 2.5 days after the onset of myocardial infarction. Images analysis was performed using a 12-segment model. Regional systolic wall thickening (SWT) was measured on cine-MRI obtained 273 ± 130 days later. Results. Late-enhanced MRI revealed hyperenhancement in all patients, whereas hypoenhancement on first-pass MRI was observed in 67% (12/18) of the patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.86 for late-enhanced MRI and 0.74 for first-pass MRI (P = 0.27). First-pass MRI was useful for predicting functional recovery of the segments that showed hyperenhancement of >50% of tissue on late-enhanced MRI. In these segments, preserved SWT was observed in 15 of 33 segments (45%) with first-pass hypoenhancement of ≤50% of tissue, but in only 2 of 22 segments (9%) with first-pass hypoenhancement of >50% of tissue. Conclusion. Whereas the diagnostic capability of first-pass MRI alone is limited, complementary use of first-pass MRI can enhance the diagnostic performance of late-enhanced MRI because hypoenhancement during first-pass imaging is more specific to nonviable myocardium.