Cardiovascular Imaging Applications in Myocardial Infarction
Summary
Cardiovascular imaging has transformed the diagnosis, management and prognosis of myocardial infarction by offering precise, non-invasive assessment of tissue injury, vascular integrity and ventricular function. Transthoracic echocardiography remains a first-line tool for rapid evaluation of wall motion abnormalities, global function and mechanical complications. Cardiac computed tomography enables detection of coronary anatomy, myocardial perfusion defects and viability in a single examination, while nuclear techniques quantify perfusion, metabolic activity and inflammatory response. However, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as the gold standard for infarct characterisation. Late gadolinium enhancement delineates infarct size and transmural extent, T2-weighted imaging depicts myocardial oedema, and native T1/T2 mapping delivers pixel-wise tissue characterisation without contrast. Quantitative metrics such as extracellular volume fraction and T2* iron mapping permit evaluation of reperfusion injury, microvascular obstruction and intramyocardial haemorrhage, which are powerful predictors of adverse remodelling and clinical outcomes. Strain imaging refines assessment of regional and global contractile recovery, and hybrid PET–CMR protocols are unlocking insights into metabolic and inflammatory pathways. These multimodal approaches guide risk stratification, inform cardioprotective therapies and underpin clinical trials aimed at limiting infarct expansion. As imaging techniques evolve, standardisation of acquisition and analysis will be critical to ensure reproducibility and global applicability in acute care, chronic follow-up and novel therapeutic interventions.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Cardiovascular Imaging Applications in Myocardial Infarction publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in cardiovascular imaging applications in myocardial infarction across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR): A radiation-free imaging modality that uses magnetic fields and radiofrequency pulses to characterise cardiac anatomy and tissue properties.
Late gadolinium enhancement: A CMR technique in which gadolinium contrast highlights areas of myocardial fibrosis or scarring.
T1/T2 mapping: Quantitative CMR sequences that measure intrinsic tissue relaxation times, enabling detection of oedema, fibrosis and iron deposition.
Microvascular obstruction: Impaired capillary reperfusion after epicardial vessel reopening, seen as a hypoenhanced core within an area of late enhancement.
Extracellular volume fraction: A measure derived from pre- and post-contrast T1 values, reflecting the proportion of myocardial tissue occupied by extracellular space.
Intramyocardial haemorrhage: Bleeding into the infarcted myocardium, detectable by T2* mapping as regions of low signal intensity.
References
- Association of dysglycaemia with persistent infarct core iron in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (2024).
- Novel Targets Regulating the Role of Endothelial Cells and Angiogenesis after Infarction: A RNA Sequencing Analysis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Impact of Bivalirudin on Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Patients with Reperfused STEMI Assessed by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance. Pharmaceuticals (2024).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.