Current Assessments of the Adequacy of Myocardial Perfusion During Acute MI

For two decades now, the optimal management of acute coronary syndrome has been the early restoration of complete and sustained flow to the jeopardized infarct area. Advances in thrombolytic therapy and percutaneous coronary interventions have contributed significantly to the re-establishment of epicardial flow. However, a body of evidence now strongly indicates that restoration of epicardial flow alone is not sufficient to optimize clinical outcomes. Rather, it has become evident that reperfusion therapy must also involve restoration of microcirculatory reperfusion. Thus, techniques to assess myocardial perfusion during acute myocardial infarction are becoming increasingly relevant for the assessment of patient prognosis.