Assessment of reversible myocardial dysfunction in chronic ischaemic heart disease: comparison of contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance and a combined positron emission tomography-single photon emission computed tomography imaging protocol.

Aims: The aim of the study was to compare, in patients with chronic ischaemic cardiomyopathy, contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (ce-CMR) imaging and a combined (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and (99m)Tc-sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) protocols for the prediction of functional recovery after revascularization, as assessed by cine CMR.

Methods And Results: Twenty-nine patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ejection fraction 32 +/- 10%) were investigated with ce-CMR and PET/SPECT. For the assessment of global and regional functions, cine CMR was performed at baseline and at 6 months follow-up.