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Updated: May 1, 2026
Myocardial Infarction and Functional Outcome Assessment in Pigs
Published on: April 25, 2014
Delayed 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET/MR imaging confirms ongoing fibroblast activation in patients after acute myocardial
Jana Kupusovic1,2, Lukas Kessler3, Sandra Kazek3
1Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, West German Heart and Vascular Center Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Purpose Of The Report:
Combined cardiac 68Ga-Fibroblast-Activation Protein-alpha inhibitor (FAPI) positron-emission tomography (PET) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) constitute a novel diagnostic tool in patients for the assessment of myocardial damage after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate simultaneous Ga-68-FAPI-46-PET/MR imaging in the delayed phase after AMI.
Material And Methods:
Eleven patients underwent hybrid 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET/MRI post AMI. Standardized uptake values and fibroblast activation volume (FAV) were calculated and correlated with serum biomarkers and MRI parameters.
Results:
Significant 68Ga-FAPI-46 uptake could be demonstrated in 11 (100 %) patients after a mean period of 30.9 ± 22.0 days. FAV significantly exceeded the infarction size in MRI and showed a good correlation to MRI parameters as well as to serum biomarkers of myocardial damage.
Conclusions:
68Ga-FAPI-46 PET/MRI offers molecular and morphological imaging of affected myocardium after AMI. This study demonstrates ongoing fibroblast activation in a delayed phase after AMI and generates hypotheses for future studies while aiming for a better understanding of myocardial remodeling following ischemic tissue damage.
