BackgroundThe objective of the study was to determine the coronary vasodilatory reserve in reperfused myocardium in patients with acute myocardial infarction and its relation to regional myocardial function.Methods and ResultsThe study population consisted of 22 patients with acute myocardial infarction who underwent successful coronary angioplasty. The vasodilatory reserve in reperfused myocardium was assessed quantitatively using computer-assisted digital subtraction cine-angiography immediately after angioplasty and at follow-up angiography before hospital discharge. Myocardial contrast medium appearance time and density were determined before and after pharmacological hyperemia induced by an intracoronary injection of 12.5 mg papaverine. Global and regional left ventricular functions were determined from contrast angiography. After papaverine, the mean contrast medium appearance time decreased significantly from 3.5±0.7 to 2.7±0.7 cardiac cyclesP< .000005) immediately after successful coronary angioplasty and from 3.8±0.7 to 2.7±0.9 cardiac cycles (P< .000005) angiography before hospital discharge. The mean contrast medium density increased significantly from 48.7±13.8 to 61.0±19.0 pixels (P< .003) and from 49.6±19.7 to 80.3±29.6 pixels (P< .000005), respectively. As a consequence, the calculated coronary flow reserve increased significantly from 1.8±0.7 to 2.6±1.0 (P< .0008). The global ejection fraction increased significantly from 52±12% to 58±14% (P< .03), primarily because of a significant improvement in the regional myocardial function of the infarct zone from 20.8±9.0% to 26.0±10.5% (P< .0001). Coronary flow reserve correlated well with regional myocardial function both during the acute phase (R= .79,P< .002) and at follow-up angiography (R= .82,P< .000004). Interestingly, coronary flow reserve measurement on reperfusion, immediately after angioplasty, correlated significantly with regional myocardial function at follow-up angiography (R= .81,P< .00003).ConclusionsThe results indicate that there is a pharmacologically inducible vasodilatory reserve in reperfused ischemic myocardium after successful coronary angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarction and that this is increased at 10-day follow-up angiography. More important, the degree of reactive hyperemic response on reperfusion has a predictive value regarding the ultimate degree of recovery of regional myocardial function. Quantitative assessment of reperfusion may be useful in investigating the role of coronary reperfusion and salvage of myocardial function.