Complications of myocardial infarction on multidetector-row computed tomography of chest

Myocardial infarction (MI) secondary to coronary artery disease remains the leading cause of death in the western world. The advent of early reperfusion therapy has substantially decreased in-hospital mortality and has improved the outcome in survivors of the acute phase of MI. Complications of MI include ischaemic, mechanical, arrhythmic, embolic and inflammatory disturbances. Although some of these complications may be infrequent, their importance is underscored because of the potential ability to correct them with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The majority of these complications will be detected on clinical examination and confirmed by echocardiography. Some patients may undergo non-electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated thoracic multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) due to non-specific presentation. In this group, it is imperative for the radiologist to be aware of and be confident in diagnosing the complications secondary to MI. This review illustrates the spectrum and imaging features of acute and chronic complications of MI that can be visualized on both ECG-gated cardiac and non-ECG-gated thoracic MDCT.