Exploratory echocardiographic strain parameters for the estimation of myocardial infarct size in ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: Outcome after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) can be most reliably estimated by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. However, CMR is expensive, laborious, and has only limited availability. In comparison, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is widely available and cost-efficient.