Characterization of subacute and convalescent fibrotic burden in the remote myocardium after acute infarction provides strong and incremental prediction of changes in left and right functions and final infarct size, incremental to knowledge of the subacute infarct size

Summary To test the hypothesis that fibrotic burden in remote myocardium quantified by CMR during early period of infarct healing is a strong determinant of the cardiac remodeling outcome. Background After acute myocardial infarction (AMI), co-existing myocardial stunning, ischemia, and architectural alteration may yield variable patterns of ventricular remodeling with potential long-term prognostic implications. We hypothesize that CMR quantification of fibrotic content, based on R1 (1/T1) assessment, in non-infarct myocardium early after infarction and during the infarct healing phases may provide novel prediction of the final infarct size and alteration of ventricular functions during infarct healing. Methods