Can a color Doppler echocardiogram detect old myocardial infarction?

Echocardiography can detect old myocardial infarction. During echocardiography, findings indicative of old myocardial infarction mainly include reduced ejection fraction and segmental wall motion abnormalities. Reduced ejection fraction results from myocardial damage and necrosis leading to impaired cardiac function; generally, an ejection fraction below 50% indicates significant cardiac dysfunction. Segmental wall motion abnormalities refer to abnormal movements of parts of the heart wall during myocardial contraction, caused by scar formation following previous injury or necrosis. These abnormal contractions, which may include bulging or paradoxical motion of certain myocardial fibers, are not coordinated with the normal contraction and relaxation of healthy myocardium. Thus, echocardiography serves as an effective method for identifying old myocardial infarction. However, please note that diagnosis should also incorporate other clinical information.