Figure 2.

Evaluation of myocardial infarction core (MI-core), area at risk (AAR) and salvageable zone (SZ) in a rabbit with reperfused MI by in vivo and ex vivo imaging techniques and dynamic imaging quantification. A: DE-cMRI displays the MI-core as a transmural hyperenhanced area involving anterior papillary muscle; B: T2WI shows an extensive hyperintense region in the anterolateral wall; C: PWI_90' presents a perfusion deficit region by the left anterior descending (LAD) artery ligation, which appeared smaller than T2WI-abnormal region (B) but larger than the MI-core (A); D: PWI_24h presents a perfusion deficit region after the LAD reperfusion, which is somewhat smaller than that with PWI_90'; C' and D': The SI-time curves derived from PWI_90' (C) and PWI_24h (D) indicate a slower and lower contrast enhancement in the ARR compared to that in ventricular septum (VS) and ventricular cavity (VC) with apparently increased perfusion in the AAR by PWI_24h; E: DR of the RIO-stained heart section shows a filling defect with few collateral vessels in the anterolateral wall in contrast to the rest of opaque left ventricle; F: photograph of the heart section stained by multifunctional staining depicts the MI-core as a EB-stained blue lesion simulating what is seen in A, shows normal ventricular wall in red leaving the AAR (including the blue MI-core) unstained, which perfectly matched with the AAR in C and E, and whitish zones are suggestive of the SZ; G: photomacroscopy of HE-stained heart slice views the MI-core as a hemorrhagic infarct similar in size with the blue lesion in F; H: photomicroscopy (×100) of HE-stained heart slice confirms the presence of the AAR (necrotic MI-core plus the viable but inflammatory SZ) and remote normal myocardium (NM).