Influence of Myocardial Ischemia Extent on Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain in Patients After ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Two-dimensional echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is moderately correlated with infarct size and reflects the residual LV systolic function. This correlation may be influenced by the presence of myocardial ischemia. The present study investigated how myocardial ischemia modulates the correlation between LV GLS and infarct size determined with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in patients with first STEMI treated with primary coronary intervention. A total of 1,128 patients (age 60 ± 11 years) who underwent SPECT MPI for the evaluation of infarct size and residual ischemia were evaluated. LV GLS was measured on transthoracic echocardiography. The time interval between echocardiography and SPECT MPI was 1 ± 1 month. A moderate correlation between echocardiographic LV GLS and infarct size on SPECT MPI was observed (r = 0.58, p <0.001). This correlation was weakened by the presence or extent of ischemia; in the group of patients without ischemia, the correlation between LV GLS and infarct size on SPECT MPI was r = 0.66 (p <0.001), whereas in patients with mild or moderate-to-severe ischemia, the correlations were r = 0.56 and 0.38, respectively (both p