What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Observational. Population: First-time myocardial infarction (n=23). Intervention: Echocardiography vs. Chest X-ray. Primary outcome: Changes in left atrial dimension, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, and cardiac volume (p=<0.001).

What does this research mean for the field?

Echocardiography detects a progressive increase in left atrial dimension over 6 months post-myocardial infarction, whereas chest X-ray shows no significant concurrent change in calculated heart volume. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

September 1, 1989

Comparability of echocardiography and chest X‐ray following myocardial infarction

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Echocardiography detected a progressive increase in left atrial dimension over 6 months post-MI (P<0.001), whereas chest X-ray showed no significant concurrent change in calculated heart volume.

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Echocardiography detects a progressive increase in left atrial dimension over 6 months post-myocardial infarction, whereas chest X-ray shows no significant concurrent change in calculated heart volume. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Key Result

Echocardiography detected a progressive increase in left atrial dimension over 6 months post-MI (P<0.001), whereas chest X-ray showed no significant concurrent change in calculated heart volume.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=23)

Structured PICO

How do echocardiography and chest X-ray compare in detecting changes in cardiac dimensions following first-time myocardial infarction?

Population

23 patients with first-time myocardial infarction (MI)

Intervention

Echocardiography (measuring left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and left atrial dimension)

Comparator

Chest X-ray (measuring cardiac volume in ml/m2 body surface area)

Outcome

Changes in cardiac dimensions (LA dimension, LVEDd, and cardiac volume) at 1 week, 2 months, and 6 months following acute MIsurrogate

Echocardiography is more sensitive than chest X-ray in detecting progressive structural changes, such as left atrial enlargement, following acute myocardial infarction.

Main Result

p-value: p=<0.001

Abstract

In a group of 23 patients with first-time myocardial infarction (MI) we compared the results of echocardiography and chest X-ray as measured 1 week, 2 months, and 6 months following acute MI. Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDd) and left atrial (LA) dimension were measured from the echocardiogram, and the cardiac volume in ml/m2 body surface area (BSA) was calculated from the chest X-ray. A progressive increase in LA dimension was noticed during the 6-month period: a significant increase after 2 months (P less than 0.001) with a further increase at 6 months compared with after 2 months (P less than 0.001). The changes in LA dimension were more pronounced in anterior and Q-wave infarction (P less than 0.001) than in inferior and non-Q-wave infarction (P less than 0.01). On the other hand, LVEDd showed a less conspicuous change: a moderate increase (P less than 0.05) at 2 and 6 months, also with a more pronounced change in anterior wall and Q-wave infarction (P less than 0.01). There was no significant concurrent change in the calculated heart volume in ml/m2 BSA, as measured from the chest X-ray. It is suggested that the observed changes in LA dimension reflect reduced left ventricular compliance after MI.

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