Objectives: We sought to determine whether end-diastolic wall thickness (EDWT) can predict recovery of regional left ventricular contractile function after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Background: Regional contractile function does not recover in all patients after PCI for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Prediction of functional recovery after AMI may help in clinical decision making.
Methods: Forty consecutive patients with AMI were studied with left ventricular contrast echocardiography for accurate wall thickness and function measurement and myocardial perfusion immediately after and two months following PCI.
Results: Out of 640 segments, 175 (27%) dysfunctional segments in the infarct territory were analyzed for EDWT, wall function, and perfusion. One hundred and three (59%) dysfunctional segments presented with an EDWT <11 mm and 72 (41%) presented with an EDWT > or =11 mm. Perfusion (partial or complete) was present in 63 segments with an EDWT <11 mm (61%) and 71 segments with an EDWT > or =11 mm (99%) (p < 0.001). At two months' follow-up, 66 of 72 segments with an EDWT > or =11 mm (92%) improved, whereas only 35 of 103 of the dysfunctional segments with an EDWT <11 mm (34%) improved (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: Wall thickness is an easy parameter to predict recovery of function after revascularization. Moreover, combining EDWT and perfusion, segments with an EDWT > or =11 mm, and presence of perfusion have the highest chance of recovery; segments with an EDWT <11 mm and perfusion have an intermediate chance of recovery. In segments with an EDWT <11 mm and no perfusion, chances of recovery are very low.