ESTIMATION OF LEFT-VENTRICULAR MASS AND INFARCT SIZE FROM NITROGEN-13-AMMONIA PET IMAGES BASED ON PATHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF EXPLANTED HUMAN HEARTS

The purpose of this study was to develop a technique to quantify left ventricular mass and infarct size in chronic ischemic heart disease fr om PET images based on correlation with pathological examination of ex planted human hearts. Fourteen hearts from patients with cardiomyopath y who had N-13-ammonia scans prior to orthopic heart transplantation w ere studied. Accurate estimation of the relative infarct size was poss ible in patients with a well-delineated, nearly transmural infarct (r = 0.93, y = 1.1x - 0.7, n = 11). Both absolute and relative infarct ma ss measurements on PET images correlated well with pathological measur ements. We identified a population of patients with patchy interstitia l or subendocardial scarring with globally reduced perfusion, for whic h the infarct size could not be estimated using the criteria derived f or the patients with well-delineated infarcts.