Acute myocardial infarction on Nongated chest computed tomography

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Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans

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Maria Salgado Guerrero1, Gabriela Cepeda De Jesus1, Wakil Irfan1

  • 1Department of Medicine, Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.

Radiology Case Reports
|August 18, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Acute myocardial infarction can be detected on contrast-enhanced chest CT scans, even when performed for other conditions. Radiologists should examine these scans for myocardial perfusion abnormalities indicating heart attack.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Radiology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) is typically not used for diagnosing myocardial infarction.
  • Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) detection on chest CT is usually incidental, found during evaluations for other conditions like pulmonary embolism or aortic dissection.

Observation:

  • A case study involving a 67-year-old male with atypical chest pain and a nondiagnostic electrocardiogram is presented.
  • The patient underwent a nongated contrast-enhanced chest CT scan.

Findings:

  • The chest CT scan revealed areas of decreased myocardial enhancement, indicative of acute myocardial infarction.
  • This finding suggests AMI can be identified on contrast-enhanced chest CT.

Implications:

  • Radiologists should consider the possibility of acute myocardial infarction when interpreting contrast-enhanced chest CT scans for other indications.
  • Identifying myocardial perfusion abnormalities on chest CT can provide crucial diagnostic clues for heart attack, even in non-cardiac focused imaging.

Keywords:
Acute myocardial infarctionAtypical chest painContrast-enhanced chest computed tomographyDecreased myocardial enhancement

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