Skip Navigation

European Heart Journal 2008 29(3):299-314; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehm621
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hayat, S. A.
Right arrow Articles by Senior, R.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hayat, S. A.
Right arrow Articles by Senior, R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

2008 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology
The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal, Learned Society and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions©oxfordjournals.org

Myocardial contrast echocardiography in ST elevation myocardial infarction: ready for prime time?

Sajad A. Hayat and Roxy Senior*

Department of Cardiovascular medicine and Institute of Postgraduate Medical and Education Research, Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3UJ, UK

Received 20 September 2007; revised 16 November 2007; accepted 13 December 2007.

* Corresponding author. Tel: +44 208 869 2547, Fax: +44 208 864 0075, Email: roxysenior{at}cardiac-research.org

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) continues to be a significant public health problem in industrialized countries and an increasingly significant problem in developing countries. ST elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) constitute ~40% of all AMIs with ~670,000 cases yearly in the United States alone. The risk of further cardiac complications such as re-infarction, sudden death, and heart failure for those who survive AMI is substantial. Thus, early assessment and risk stratification during the acute phase of STEMI is important. Furthermore, it is essential to assess the efficacy early after any initial therapeutic intervention, not only to facilitate further management, but also to enable development of new treatment algorithms/approaches to further improve the outcome. The aim of reperfusion therapy in AMI is not only to rapidly restore epicardial coronary blood flow but also to restore perfusion at the microcirculatory level. Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) which utilizes microbubbles can assess myocardial perfusion in real time. Its ability to assess myocardial perfusion and function in one examination allows it to ascertain the extent of myocardial reperfusion achieved in the risk area. Furthermore, in stable patients after AMI, MCE allows assessment of LV function, residual myocardial viability, and ischaemia which are all powerful prognostic markers of outcome. Its portability, rapid acquisition and interpretation of data, and the absence of radiation exposure make it an ideal bedside technique.

Key Words: Acute myocardial infarction • STEMI • Myocardial contrast echocardiography • Myocardial perfusion • No-reflow


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.