Spontaneous anterograde flow of the infarct artery preserves myocardial perfusion and fatty acid metabolism in patients with anterior acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND It remains unclear whether spontaneous anterograde flow preserves myocardial fatty acid metabolism in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS AND RESULTS The present study comprised 129 patients with a first anterior AMI in whom Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 3 flow was obtained on the final angiogram: 28 patients with spontaneous anterograde flow and 101 patients with total occlusion on the initial angiogram. Thallium-201 (201Tl) and iodine-123-beta-methyl-p-iodophenyl penta-decanoic acid (123I-BMIPP) dual-isotope myocardial single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was performed at 6.5+/-4.2 days after onset. The SPECT image was divided into 17 segments, and each segment was graded with scores between 0 and 4 (0, normal uptake; 4, defective). The sum of each score was defined as the total defect score (TDS). TDS values for 201Tl (9.0 +/-7.4 vs 16.8+/-12.2, p < 0.01) and 123I-BMIPP (19.3+/-11.6 vs 24.1 +/-10.4, p < 0.05) were significantly lower in patients with spontaneous anterograde flow than in those with total occlusion. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that spontaneous anterograde flow of the infarct artery preserves not only myocardial perfusion but also fatty acid metabolism in patients with AMI. 123I-BMIPP SPECT image may underestimate the area at risk especially in patients with spontaneous anterograde flow.