Two-dimensional echocardiography in acute transmural and non-transmural myocardial infarction.

Left ventricular wall motion abnormalities in acute myocardial infarction and their changes during hospitalisation were investigated in 40 patients by means of two-dimensional echocardiography (2-D-E). It was confirmed that two-dimensional echocardiography can detect segmental left ventricular asynergy, follow up its development during hospitalisation and provide on the basis of this information on the extent of infarction. Differences were found between transmural and non-transmural infarctions, in particular as regards the duration of impaired wall motion (in non-transmural infarctions it was only temporary). Suggested indicators of the extent of this disorder ("index of asynergy" and "extent of asynergy") seem to be valuable for the evaluation of the extent of infarction and of its clinical impact. The sensitivity and specificity of echocardiography, as compared with postmortem findings, is satisfactory.