Thallium-201 scintigraphy after acute myocardial infarction.

Fifty-five patients with acute myocardial infarction were examined with thallium-201 scintigraphy before discharge from hospital. Fifty-one showed significant scintigraphic defects. The number of abnormal Q waves in a 12-lead ECG but not the maximal ASAT value for each patient were correlated to the total estimated image defect. Mortality during the follow-up period of 14-28 months was not related to the estimated total image defect, but the two early deaths occurred among patients with the most dilated left ventricles.