On the significance of fiber branching in the human myocardium.
Myocardial tissue exhibits a high degree of organization in that the cardiac muscle fibers are both systematically aligned and highly branched. In this study, the influence and significance of fiber branching is analyzed mathematically. In order to allow for analytic solutions, a regular geometry and simplified constitutive relations are considered. It is found that branching is necessary to stabilize the ventricular wall.
Niederer
P F
PF
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), 8092 Zurich, Switzerland. niederer@biomed.ee.ethz.ch
Lunkenheimer
P P
PP
Cryer
C W
CW
D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D008853:Microscopy; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000648:ultrastructure*