Thallium myocardial emission computed tomography (ECT) using a rotating gamma camera was undertaken to assess three-dimensional thallium distribution in the myocardium in cases with myocardial infarction (MI). Ninety-one cases with MI and 29 normal persons were examined by thallium ECT and the conventional planar imaging. Diagnostic performance and quantification of MI, and characterization of non-transmural MI were also investigated. In the detection of a perfusion defect, the ECT imaging showed significantly higher sensitivity (96%) than the planar imaging (77%) (p less than 0.001), especially in those with inferior wall MI (95% vs 73%, p less than 0.02) and nontransmural MI (82% vs 27%) (p less than 0.01). The specificity was the same in both techniques (90%), and therefore, higher overall accuracy was obtained by the ECT imaging (94%) than by the planar imaging (80%) (p less than 0.01). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were obtained from three independent observers for quantitative evaluation of observer detection performance. The ECT curves in each observer were situated in the upper left corner, indicating excellent diagnostic performance. Infarct size was estimated from the extent of the perfusion defect expressed as a percentage of the planar imaging (% defect) and as a volume of the infarcted myocardium (infarct volume). Those parameters were significantly correlated with peak CPK (r = 0.80 and 0.94, respectively), and inversely correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (r = -0.78 and -0.85, respectively). Thus, the infarct volume calculated from the ECT is considered to permit estimation of infarct size more accurately than % defect from the planar imaging. To characterize nontransmural MI, 11 cases with nontransmural MI were examined by ECT and the findings were compared with those of transmural MI. A perfusion defect was detected in nine of the 11 patients (82%). As compared to those with transmural MI, infarct volume was smaller and the residual activity in an infarct region was higher in cases with nontransmural MI. Thus, the thallium ECT imaging, providing any-angle multisection of the myocardium, permits qualitative and quantitative evaluation of MI accurately.