In vivo assessment of myocardial viability after acute myocardial infarction: A head-to-head comparison of the perfusable tissue index by PET and delayed contrast-enhanced CMR.

Background Early recognition of viable myocardium after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is of clinical relevance, since affected segments have the potential of functional recovery. Delayed contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-CMR) has been validated extensively for the detection of viable myocardium. An alternative parameter for detecting viability is the perfusable tissue index (PTI), derived using [15O]H2O positron emission tomography (PET), which is inversely related to the extent of myocardial scar (non-perfusable tissue). The aim of the present study was to investigate the predictive value of PTI on recovery of LV function as compared to DCE-CMR in patients with AMI, after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).