MYOCARDIAL CONTRAST ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IN THE EVALUATION OF VIABLE MYOCARDIUM AFTER ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

Successfully reopening the infarct-related artery after acute myocardi al infarction (MI) is currently achieved more frequently than before d ue to efficient therapeutic strategies, including new thrombolytic dru gs and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, Successful reop ening does not necessarily mean reperfusion; in fact the ''no-reflow'' phenomenon can occur, This phenomenon is due to functional and anatom ic alterations, including microcirculation, Experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated that microvascular integrity is a fundamenta l prerequisite for ensuring viability after an acute MI. Often, studie s have also shown that myocardial contrast echocardiography is a techn ique capable of detecting functional and anatomic conditions of microc irculation after ischemic reperfusion, and thus myocardial contrast ec hocardiography can be used for viability detection after acute MI. (C) 1998 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.