[Myocardial blood flow and glucose metabolism in patients with myocardial infarction evaluated by positron emission tomography: comparison with left ventriculography].

Myocardial positron emission tomography (PET) using N-13-ammonia (NH3) and F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) was performed in 16 patients with myocardial infarction to assess myocardial blood flow and glucose utilization. These PET data were also compared by left ventriculography. N-13-ammonia PET study was performed at rest and after supine ergometer exercise as a measure of myocardial blood flow, and the F-18-FDG PET study was performed at rest after more than five hours' fasting as a measure of glucose utilization. The N-13-ammonia PET study revealed hypoperfused regions in 15 of 16 patients (94%) corresponding to the infarct regions identified by electrocardiography and by cardiac catheterization. In 12 of 16 patients (75%) these hypoperfused regions expanded with exercise. FDG uptake was observed in the hypoperfused regions, especially in stress-induced ischemic ones. Increased uptake of FDG was more often observed in patients with mildly hypokinetic wall motion on left ventriculography. However, FDG PET studies demonstrated diffuse uptake of FDG in some of the akinetic and dyskinetic segments.