T2 values of the acutely infarcted myocardium following primary PCI: the relationship with infarct characteristics and gadolinium extracellular volume of distribution

Background T2 mapping has been shown to detect myocardial oedema as assessed by histology in animals, and is a promising sequence to detect the area at risk in STEMI. The specific cut off value to identify abnormal myocardium in STEMI has not been identified nor have the effects of infarct characteristics on T2 valves. The extra cellular volume fraction (ECV) has been validated against histology in humans. The aims of this study were to identify a cut-off T2 for prediction of myocardial oedema following acute reperfused myocardial infarction and determine if infarct characteristics affect T2 values. In addition, this study aims to determine if T2 values are associated with the ECV following STEMI.