¹¹C-methionine PET of acute myocardial infarction

Tissue uptake of L-[methyl-¹¹C]-methionine (¹¹C- methionine) has been used to monitor amino acid metabolism and protein synthesis. We examined whether ¹¹C-methionine was retained in areas of myocardial infarction after successful reperfusion. Methods: Nine patients with infarction in the left anterior descendent region underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary artery intervention within 24 h and ²⁰¹Tl SPECT, ¹⁸F-FDG PET, and ¹¹C-methionine PET within 2 wk of infarction onset. The standardized uptake values of the infarcted area and of the normal area were measured. Results: The ¹¹C-methionine images showed increased uptake in the infarcted area, whereas the ²⁰¹Tl SPECT and ¹⁸F-FDG PET images showed decreased uptake. The highest accumulation of ¹¹C-methionine in the infarcted area was observed during the early phase of AMI. Conclusion: ¹¹C-methionine uptake is elevated in infarcted areas and may reflect the early acute phase of damage healing, that is, the initial process of remodeling.