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Circulation, Vol 52, 1076-1085, Copyright © 1975 by American Heart Association

ARTICLES

Quantitative relationships between potassium-43 imaging and left ventricular cineangiography following myocardial infarction in man

BL Zaret, SC Vlay, GS Freedman, S Wolfson and LS Cohen

To evaluate the quantitative relationships between resting potassium-43 (43K) myocardial imaging and left ventricular segmental contraction abnormalities, 15 patients were studied by both radionuclide and contrast angiographic techniques at least two months following transmural myocardial infarction. The ECG location of infarction involved the anterior wall alone in six patients, inferior wall alone in three patients, both anterior and inferior walls in five patients, and in one patient ECG-anatomic correlation was obscured by newly developed left bundle branch block. 43K defects were noted in all patients. Anterior wall 43K defects were noted in all patients with previous anterior infarction and seven of nine inferior infarcts. These 43K defects were associated with a quantifiable decrease in regional radioactivity of at least 20% of normal appearing zones, and their location correlated with the angiographic site of akinesis or dyskinesis. The extent of the 43K defect (% 43K HP [% potassium 43 hypoperfusion]) was measured by planimetry and averaged 49% of the anterior view image (range 25-66%), 43% of the left anterior oblique image (range 0-58%), with the mean of both views being 47% (range 17- 62%). The mean total area of the anterior image was 58 cm2 (range 40- 101 cm2). The extent of the 43K defect (% 43K HP) was related to the extent of segmental contraction abnormality (% ACS). Correlations between % ACS and anterior view % 43K HP (r = 0.67), left anterior oblique % 43K HP (r = 0.54), and mean % 43K HP (r = 0.77) were found. The total size of the anterior view image correlated with left ventricular end-diastolic volume (r = 0.79). Thus, in this initial group of patients following transmural infarction, potassium-43 imaging can be accurately and quantitatively correlated with the site and extent of regional ventricular dysfunction as it is assessed by quantitative left ventricular angiography.