T2 AMI MRIT2 Mapping of the Heart in Acute MI Population for the Prediction of Short Term Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events

In the initial feasibility project, a novel Cardiac MRI sequence (Double Inversion radial fast Spin Echo T2 mapping)developed by Dr. Maria Altbach at the University of Arizona, has been tested clinically. It demonstrated a high sensitivity to the heart muscle swelling ("edema") in different types of heart injury, including heart attacks. The investigators have successfully tested the reproducibility of the new method in a series of healthy volunteers. The Phase I study revealed a robust clinical performance of the T2-Map sequence in multiple cardiac disorders. Based on these promising results, presented on several international Cardiac Imaging meetings, the investigators propose to use T2-Map methodology in patients with acute heart attacks and to compare value of this method with other clinical and imaging parameters in predicting short-term (30 day) clinical outcomes of these patients. If successful, the project will provide an effective risk-stratification tool to identify patients with heart attack as a result of atherosclerotic disease, who require more aggressive therapeutic approach and closer follow-up after initial hospitalization.