Objective To assess the feasibility of quantitative myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), using multi-row detector CT (MDCT) with a model-based deconvolution method.

Design, setting, patients and interventions Fifteen normal subjects with normal coronary arteries and 26 patients with AMI after reperfusion therapy underwent MPI with MDCT. Perfusion parameters: tissue blood flow (TBF), tissue blood volume (TBV) and mean transit time (MTT) were obtained and compared with clinical parameters, angiography and single-photon emission CT (SPECT) data. Furthermore, the MPI data were compared with data from myocardial magnetic resonance (MR) in 10 subjects.

Results The TBF and TBV of infarcted myocardium were significantly lower than those of non-infarcted areas (TBF, 51.96±19.42 vs 108.84±13.29 ml/100 g/min, p<0.01; TBV, 4.47±2.23 vs 9.79±2.58 ml/100 g, p<0.01). The MTT of infarcted areas did not differ from that of non-infarcted areas. The defect areas on TBV colour maps were significantly associated with peak creatine kinase level, QRS score and SPECT defect score. The ratio of TBF or TBV in the epicardial to endocardial side was significantly higher in infarct myocardium with good collateral circulation than in myocardium with poor/no collateral circulation (p<0.01 for both). The TBF measurements with CT- and MR-MPI were in good agreement by linear regression analysis (R=0.55, p<0.01).

Conclusions This study demonstrated that MDCT perfusion imaging with deconvolution analysis could quantitatively detect myocardial perfusion abnormalities in patients with AMI and may provide the basis for the non-invasive and quantitative assessment of myocardial infarction.