Non-invasive quantification of experimental canine myocardial infarct size using two-dimensional echocardiography

In order to study whether wall motion abnormalities detected by two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography can be quantified and correlated with infarct size, we compared wall motion abnormalities viewed by 2D echocardiography in experimental canine infarction with post-mortem infarct size. Nineteen mongrel dogs underwent left anterior descending coronary artery snare occlusion. They were sacrificed 6 h later. Infarct sizing was done by technetium 99-m stannous pyrophosphate scintigraphy of the excised, sliced left ventricles. Fourteen dogs had both 2D echo wall motion abnormalities and infarctions. Four dogs failed to develop infarction and had no or minimal wall motion abnormalities. Inter-observer variation in 2D echocardiographic measurements was small. Wall motion abnormalities correlated with infarct size both in the 14-dog subgroup with infarction (r = 0.75, P less than 0.003) and all the 18 dogs that completed the protocol (r = 0.87, P less than 0.001). Thus, wall motion abnormalities in experimental canine myocardial infraction can be roughly quantified by 2D echocardiography and correlated with post-mortem infarct size measured by scintigraphy.