ULTRASONIC TISSUE CHARACTERIZATION FOR CORONARY-CARE UNIT PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

The ultrasonic integrated backscatter of myocardium changes in infarct ion and ischemia. On the third day after acute myocardial infarction, 30 patients underwent ultrasonic tissue characterization from the para sternal short-axis view. With a composite parameter, the phase-weighte d variation, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for diagnosing mul tivessel coronary artery disease were 84.6%, 52.9% and 66.6%, respecti vely. Using 67 degrees as the cutoff value for the phase deviation of the backscatter power curve, the recanalization of the infarct-related artery could be detected with a positive predictive value of 77.7% an d a negative predictive value of 66.6%. Ultrasonic tissue characteriza tion is a feasible technique for detecting the multivessel coronary ar tery diseases and the recanalization of infarct-related artery for pat ients with acute myocardial infarction. The diminished cardiac cycle-d ependent variation in integrated backscatter and increased phase devia tion can differentiate patent coronary arteries from those coronary ar teries with anatomically significant stenoses. (C) 1998 World Federati on for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.