Reconstruction of the architecture of ventricular myocardial fibers in ex vivo human hearts.
BACKGROUND
The 3-dimensional arrangement of the ventricular mass has been controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate the macroarchitecture of ventricular myocardial fibers and to analyze whether it is consistent with the helical ventricular myocardial band (HVMB) hypothesis.


METHODS
Eight excised human hearts were scanned by diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI). Fiber tracking was then used with the DT-MRI data to reconstruct and visualize the positions of the myocardial fibers to reveal the architecture of ventricular myocardial fibers.


RESULTS
The left ventricular myocardial fibers were found to consist of 2 crossed populations that were approximately normal from the epicardium to the endocardium in the tangent plane. The myocardial fibers in the middle of the myocardium had a smooth, linear angular rotation. The ventricular myocardial fibers maintained complete continuity and specific orientations that corresponded to the HVMB structure.


CONCLUSIONS
The architecture of the ventricular myocardial fibers in the human heart conforms to the HVMB structural hypothesis.
Gao
Changqing
C
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, PLA Institute of Cardiac Surgery, PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, China. gaochq301@yahoo.com
Lu
Kun
K
Ye
Weihua
W
Li
Libing
L
Cheng
Liuquan
L
D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology*