Timing of post contrast T1 values affects the extracellular volume fraction in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction

Background Native T1 is increased in acute myocardial infarction. Extracellular volume fraction (ECV) can be calculated using T1 mapping following contrast. The timing of imaging following contrast in acute myocardial infarction is not established. 15 minutes has been proposed for conditions with and ECV < 0.4. 15 minutes may not be applicable in acute myocardial infarction due to infarct characteristics (ie MVO) impacting on contrast pharmacokinetics and the relatively higher ECV. The aim of this study was to determine if ECV is affected by the timing of imaging for post contrast T1 maps in STEMI.