Myocardial Perfusion Imaging in Acute Coronary Syndromes: Potential Use in Decision Making for Emergent Revascularization

We report two cases of patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain who had low risk electrocardiographic findings. Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) revealed a significant area of decreased uptake suggestive of acute transmural infarction. In both cases, biochemical markers later confirmed the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Cardiac catheterization revealed a large area at risk which was then treated with percutaneous intervention. As MPI is increasingly utilized in the acute evaluation of chest pain, it may serve as a useful adjunct in selecting patients who may benefit from emergent cathertization and revascularization.