Jichao Zhao, Brian J Hansen, Yufeng Wang, Thomas A Csepe, Lidiya V Sul, Alan Tang, Yiming Yuan, Ning Li, Anna Bratasz, Kimerly A Powell, Ahmet Kilic, Peter J Mohler, Paul M L Janssen, Raul Weiss, Orlando P Simonetti, John D Hummel, Vadim V Fedorov
BACKGROUND: Structural remodeling of human atria plays a key role in sustaining atrial fibrillation (AF), but insufficient quantitative analysis of human atrial structure impedes the treatment of AF. We aimed to develop a novel 3-dimensional (3D) structural and computational simulation analysis tool that could reveal the structural contributors to human reentrant AF drivers. METHODS AND RESULTS: High-resolution panoramic epicardial optical mapping of the coronary-perfused explanted intact human atria (63-year-old woman, chronic hypertension, heart weight 608 g) was conducted during sinus rhythm and sustained AF maintained by spatially stable reentrant AF drivers in the left and right atrium...
August 22, 2017: Journal of the American Heart Association