Imaging and myocardial infarction

NEW YORK, July 17 (Praxis Press) Studies suggest that cardiomyocytes undergo apoptosis after myocardial infarction (MI), and characterization of the extent and timeline of this phenomenon might help tailor new therapeutic interventions. Hofstra and colleagues studied the uptake of technetium-99m-labelled annexin-V in the myocardium of patients with acute MI (see paper). In six of seven patients, labeled annexin-V was taken up by the infarct area only, and this area corresponded to a perfusion defect. Annexin-V imaging will facilitate the study of reperfusion-induced cell death after MI and of cardiomyocyte-preserving interventions.