Which EKG leads are used to diagnose anterior wall myocardial infarction?

• A. II, III and aVF
• B. V1, V2 and V3
• C. I, aVL and V5
• D. V4, V5 and V6

Answer: (B)

Anterior wall involvement shows up best in the chest leads that face the front of the heart. The precordial leads closest to the sternum—V1, V2, and V3—record the electrical activity from the septal and anterior portions of the left ventricle. When the LAD artery is acutely occluded and the anterior wall is injured, these leads typically show ST-segment elevations. That makes V1 through V3 the most sensitive set for detecting an anterior-wall infarct among the options given. While the other territories are assessed by lateral and inferior leads, the chest leads V1–V3 specifically target the anterior region, explaining why they are the best pick for diagnosing anterior wall myocardial infarction. (Note that in broader practice, V4 can also be involved in anterior infarction, and ST elevations are interpreted across contiguous anterior leads, but V1–V3 capture the classic anterior/early anterior-septal involvement.)