Usefulness of Breath-hold T2-w d T2-weighted MR Imaging in Patients with Myocardial Infarction: Comparison with Delayed Enhancement

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of breath-hold T2-weighted MR imaging in patients with myocardial infarction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated 11 patients with myocardial infarction who shown delayed enhancement on MR imaging. Infarcted myocardium on T2-weighted MR imaging was classified as high, iso, and low signal area comparing with normal myocardium. The intensity and transmural extent of infracted myocardium was also analyzed. On the basis of clinical information, the stage of infracted myocardium on T2-weighted MR imaging was assessed. RESULTS: It was observed high signal area in 12 segments of 5 patients, low in 12 segments of 6 patients on T2-weighted MR imaging. The high signal intensity of infarcted myocardium was shown as 175+/-9% comparing with that of the normal myocardium, low signal intensity as 73+/-5% (p < 0.05). In the evaluation of transmural extent, the high signal areas on T2-weighted MR imaging were larger than infarct area on delayed enhancement imaging (100% vs. 49%+/-17%), whereas low signal areas on T2-weighted MR imaging correlated. High signal area was visualized on T2-weighted MR imaging within 11days, whereas low-signal area was seen after 7 months. CONCLUSION: Breath-hold T2-weighted MR imaging is useful in the evaluation of stage as well as edema and fibrous scar in patients with myocardial infarction.