The kinetics of accumulation and the external imaging patterns of indium-111-labeled platelets infused in a dog model of left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion with reperfusion were studied. The effects of infarct age and regional residual myocardial blood flow upon platelet accumulation were quantified, and the capacity of indium-111 platelets to image the experimental infarction was evaluated qualitatively. The endocardial accumulation of indium-111 platelets occurred primarily in infarct zones with residual blood flow less than 0.6 times normal and was maximal (24.98 +/- 2.76 times normal) in the lowest blood flow zone (less than 0.1 times normal). Indium-111 platelet accumulation in the epicardium occurred in the regions with blood flow less than 0.6 times normal and was maximal (17.83 +/- 1.20 times normal) in the lowest blood flow zone (less than 0.1 times normal). The maximal endocardial and epicardial platelet accumulation occurred 24 hours after reperfusion and was significantly decreased at 48 hours. In vivo cardiac images revealed discrete areas of increased myocardial radioactivity uptake in the anterior wall of dogs 24 hours after reperfusion. All images 48 hours after reperfusion were negative. Thus, in the experimental setting, indium-111 platelets allow quantification of platelet accumulation after myocardial infarction at a tissue level and provide a noninvasive means of in vivo imaging of reperfused infarcted myocardium.