Assessing myocardial salvage in reperfused STEMI patients by hybrid cardiac PET-MR imaging

To assess the efficacy of novel cardioprotective therapies for reducing myocardial infarct size, it is important to accurately measure the area at risk, as this is needed to assess myocardial salvage, a more sensitive measure of cardioprotection. Although T2-weighted cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is a promising technique for quantifying the area at risk, this approach does have its limitations. With the availability of hybrid positron emission tomography–MR (PET-MR) imaging, we now have the unique opportunity to simultaneously combine tissue characterization by CMR imaging with the metabolic insights from PET. Two cases are presented to highlight the potential utility of hybrid PET-MR imaging in acute reperfused ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in investigating the changes in cardiac metabolism in the area at risk and in the assessment of myocardial salvage. L Heart Metab. 2016;70:28-31