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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Feb 26, 2017; 9(2): 109-133
Published online Feb 26, 2017. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.109
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging assessment of outcomes in acute myocardial infarction
Jamal N Khan, Gerry P McCann
Jamal N Khan, Gerry P McCann, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and the NIHR Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester LE3 9QP, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Khan JN wrote the manuscript; McCann GP critically reviewed and edited the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no relevant conflicts of interests for the authors with respect to this manuscript or with respect to any manuscripts that the authors may be asked to review.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dr. Jamal N Khan, MBChB, PhD, BMedSci, Clinical Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Sciences, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and the NIHR Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Glenfield Hospital, Groby Road, Leicester LE3 9QP, United Kingdom. jk211@le.ac.uk
Telephone: +44-0116-2044746
Received: October 15, 2016
Peer-review started: October 19, 2016
First decision: November 30, 2016
Revised: December 2, 2016
Accepted: January 2, 2017
Article in press: January 3, 2017
Published online: February 26, 2017
Processing time: 130 Days and 13.5 Hours
Abstract

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging uniquely characterizes myocardial and microvascular injury in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), providing powerful surrogate markers of outcomes. The last 10 years have seen an exponential increase in AMI studies utilizing CMR based endpoints. This article provides a contemporary, comprehensive review of the powerful role of CMR imaging in the assessment of outcomes in AMI. The theory, assessment techniques, chronology, importance in predicting left ventricular function and remodelling, and prognostic value of each CMR surrogate marker is described in detail. Major studies illustrating the importance of the markers are summarized, providing an up to date review of the literature base in CMR imaging in AMI.

Keywords: Myocardial infarction; Infarct; Cardiovascular magnetic resonance; Left ventricular remodelling; Prognosis

Core tip: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging uniquely characterizes myocardial and microvascular injury in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Contrast-enhanced CMR offers robust, validated and reproducible surrogate markers, providing an accurate representation of pathophysiology, assessment of myocardial function and injury, and predictive value for medium to long-term LV function, remodelling and prognosis following primary percutaneous coronary intervention for STEMI. These qualities significantly increase the statistical power of studies using CMR endpoints and has resulted in an exponential increase in AMI studies utilizing CMR based endpoints. An understanding of the role of CMR in the assessment of outcomes in AMI is of key importance not only to interventional and imaging cardiologists, but to the cardiology community as a whole.