Diagnosis of myocardial contusion after blunt chest trauma using 18F-FDG positron emission tomography

Abstract

Cardiac contusion is an infrequent complication of blunt chest trauma. The definite diagnosis of myocardial contusion is complex and needs a number of examinations such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, cardiac enzyme and radionuclide perfusion scan. We present a patient who had a blunt chest trauma from a car accident resulting in an acute myocardial infarction without injury to coronary arteries. The non-viable myocardium was diagnosed with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) combined with 201Tl perfusion single photon emission tomography (SPECT). This is the first report of FDG PET for the diagnosis of myocardial contusion in blunt myocardial trauma. © 2006 The British Institute of Radiology.