Computer based method for identification of fibrotic scars from electrograms and local activation times on the epi- and endocardial surfaces of the ventricles

Abstract

Cardiac fibrosis stands as one of the most critical conditions leading to lethal cardiac arrhythmias. Identifying the precise location of cardiac fibrosis is crucial for planning clinical interventions in patients with various forms of ventricular and atrial arrhythmias. As fibrosis impedes and alters the path of electrical waves, detecting fibrosis in the heart can be achieved through analyzing electrical signals recorded from its surface. In current clinical practices, it has become feasible to record electrical activity from both the endocardial and epicardial surfaces of the heart. This paper presents a computational method for reconstructing 3D fibrosis using unipolar electrograms obtained from both surfaces of the ventricles. The proposed method calculates the percentage of fibrosis in various ventricular segments by analyzing the local activation times and peak-to-peak amplitudes of the electrograms. Initially, the method was tested using simulated data representing idealized fibrosis in a heart segment; subsequently, it was validated in the left ventricle with fibrosis obtained from a patient with nonischemic cardiomyopathy. The method successfully determined the location and extent of fibrosis in 204 segments of the left ventricle model with an average error of 0.0±4.3% (N = 204). Moreover, the method effectively detected fibrotic scars in the mid-myocardial region, a region known to present challenges in accurate detection using electrogram amplitude as the primary criterion.