Incidence and clinical course of right ventricular infarction: assessment with radionuclide ventriculography

The incidence and prognosis of right ventricular infarction were studied by radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) in 50 consecutive cases of acute myocardial infarction. RNV was performed within thirty-six hours of symptoms and one month after onset. Right ventricular infarction was absent in all 25 patients with anterior infarction. It was found in 15 of the 25 patients with inferior infarction, accompanied by a marked reduction in right ventricular ejection fraction (28 +/- 8%), but was notably alleviated one month later with normalization of right ventricular ejection fraction (39 +/- 7%) and wall motion. These phenomena seem to be specific in right ventricular infarction.