title: Anatomical Basis for the Cardiac Interventional Electrophysiologist.
abstract: The establishment of radiofrequency catheter ablation techniques as the mainstay in the treatment of tachycardia has renewed new interest in cardiac anatomy. The interventional arrhythmologist has drawn attention not only to the gross anatomic details of the heart but also to architectural and histological characteristics of various cardiac regions that are relevant to the development or recurrence of tachyarrhythmias and procedural related complications of catheter ablation. In this review, therefore, we discuss some anatomic landmarks commonly used in catheter ablations including the terminal crest, sinus node region, Koch's triangle, cavotricuspid isthmus, Eustachian ridge and valve, pulmonary venous orifices, venoatrial junctions, and ventricular outflow tracts. We also discuss the anatomical features of important structures in the vicinity of the atria and pulmonary veins, such as the esophagus and phrenic nerves. This paper provides basic anatomic information to improve understanding of the mapping and ablative procedures for cardiac interventional electrophysiologists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz, Spain.
authors.forename: Damián
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Quintana
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Infanta Cristina, 06006 Badajoz, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doblado-Calatrava
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Quirón-Madrid, European University of Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José Angel
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz, Spain.
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Macías
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-4019, USA.
authors.forename: Farhood
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saremi
mesh_terms: D054849:Cardiac Electrophysiology; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular