Low-Dose Dobutamine Tc-99m-Mibi Gated SPECT to Predict Left Ventricular Remodelling in Patients Reperfused in the Acute Phase of MI

Left myocardial infarction (MI), has a negative impact of long term morbidity and mortality. Even in patients treated successfully by angioplasty in the acute phase of infarct, the remodelling is observed in approximately 30% of cases. It is important to predict the occurrence of this phenomenon in the early phase after MI for the selection of patients who could eventually benefit from new therapeutic approach as for example cell replacement therapy. It has been advocated that stem cells coronary injections should be performed between the 5th and 10th day after an acute event. We hypothesise that a low dose dobutamine gated Tc-99m-mibi SPECT performed on 5th-6th day after reperfused acute MI can predict left ventricular remodelling and serve as a method to screen patients who could benefit from cell replacement therapy.