Cardiac anatomy for the interventional arrhythmologist: I.terminology and fluoroscopic projections.
Cardiac anatomy is complex and its understanding is essential for the interventional arrhythmologist. The first difficulty is the terminology used to describe the location of sites of mapping and ablation. For many years, electrophysiologists have named these positions following the conventional electrocardiographical vocabulary, or the terminology used by surgeons performing arrhythmic surgery. This traditional nomenclature, however, failed to take note of the crucial principle of considering the location of the heart in the human body as viewed in its erect position. In other words, it had failed to use an attitudinally appropriate terminology. Almost 10 years ago, a new attitudinal nomenclature was proposed for the right and left atrioventricular junctions. In this first of a series of reviews of cardiac anatomy as seen by the interventional arrhythmologist, we discuss the role of attitudinally appropriate terminology, and relate this to the projections used for cardiac fluoroscopy, fluorography, and angiography. Throughout our series of reviews, we will illustrate the value of The Visible Human Slice and Surface Server in facilitating the understanding of the fluoroscopic anatomy. (PACE 2010; 497-507).
Farré
Jerónimo
J
Department of Cardiology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz-Capio, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. jfarre@jfrb.e.telefonica.net
Anderson
Robert H
RH
Cabrera
José A
JA
Sánchez-Quintana
Damián
D
Rubio
José M
JM
Benezet-Mazuecos
Juan
J
Del Castillo
Silvia
S
Macía
Ester
E
D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008953:Models, Anatomic