Contribution of contractile state of the non-infarcted area to global ventricular performance after acute myocardial infarction: assessment by quantitative radionuclide angiography.

To evaluate the regional contractile state of the non-infarcted zone and to determine the contribution of this area to left ventricular (LV) performance, 112 patients (42 anterior and 70 inferior infarction) with their first acute myocardial infarction were investigated by radionuclide ventriculography at admission and 10 days after admission. Wall motion at the non-infarcted area was defined as hyperkinetic, normal, or hypokinetic, if radial chord shortening had above normal, normal, or below normal values, respectively, by quantitative wall motion analysis. Hyperkinetic, normal, and hypokinetic wall motion of the non-infarcted area were observed in three (7%), 12 (29%), and 27 (64%) patients in anterior infarction and 14 (20%), 28 (40%), and 28 (40%) in inferior infarction, respectively. In the patients with hypokinetic wall motion at the non-infarcted area, the infarct involved more than 30% of the left ventricle manifesting akinetic contractile segment (ACS), radial chord shortening in the infarcted area was severely depressed, and the incidence of multi-vessel involvement was higher compared with those with hyperkinetic or normal wall motion. In serial measurements, radial chord shortening in the infarcted and non-infarcted area, percent ACS, left ventricular ejection fraction, and left ventricular end-diastolic volume index did not change significantly from acute to follow-up study in any group. In conclusion, our data indicated that the non-infarcted area following acute infarction had various contractile states and these conditions were determined primarily by the severity and extent of infarct and underlying coronary artery disease. Furthermore, the contractile state of the non-infarcted area has a supplemental role in determination of LV function following acute infarction.