Locating the Human Cardiac Conduction System Using a 3D Model of Its Nutritious Arteries.
It is difficult for anatomists to dissect the human cardiac conduction system (CCS) on specimens as well as for cardiovascular clinicians to locate the CCS during cardiac operations. Here, we demonstrate a new method for locating the CCS using a 3D model of its nutritious arteries. First, we perfused the coronary arteries with contrast material and then acquired a set of data of thin computer tomography (CT) scans. Then, we generated a 3D model of the coronary artery and distinguished the arteries that supply the CCS. We then located the CCS on the 3D model via its nutritious arteries and dissected the CCS. Finally, the structures that were dissected were removed for histological and immunofluorescent staining. The results of histological and immunofluorescence examination proved the structure to be the CCS. Thus, we successfully located the CCS using a 3D model of its nutritious arteries. We suggest that with this new method, cardiac surgeons can locate a patient's CCS during cardiac surgeries such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA).
First Clinical School, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Yu
Y
Xu
First Clinical School, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Yukun
Y
Peng
Department of Anatomy, Guangdong Provincial Medical Biomechanical Key Laboratory, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Rongmei
R
Qu
Department of Radiology, Guangdong No. 2 Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China.
Guorong
G
Zheng
First Clinical School, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Feiyan
F
Feng
Department of Electrocardiogram, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Hospital, Urumqi, China.
Yan
Y
Feng
Second Clinical School, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Linying
L
He
Department of Anatomy, Guangdong Provincial Medical Biomechanical Key Laboratory, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Shanli
S
He
Department of Anatomy, Guangdong Provincial Medical Biomechanical Key Laboratory, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Zeyu
Z
Li
Department of Anatomy, Guangdong Provincial Medical Biomechanical Key Laboratory, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Chang
C
Liu
Department of Anatomy, Guangdong Provincial Medical Biomechanical Key Laboratory, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Zhaoming
Z
Xiao
Department of Anatomy, Guangdong Provincial Medical Biomechanical Key Laboratory, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. jouyang@126.com.
Jun
J
Ouyang
Department of Anatomy, Guangdong Provincial Medical Biomechanical Key Laboratory, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. daijx2013@163.com.
Jingxing
J
Dai
D001158:Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D061848:Optical Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed