3-DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL CARDIAC-FUNCTION - A MODEL OF RABBIT VENTRICULAR ANATOMY

The three-dimensional geometry and anisotropic properties of the heart give rise to nonhomogeneous distributions of stress, strain, electric al activation and repolarization. In this article we review the ventri cular geometry and myofiber architecture of the heart, and the experim ental and modeling studies of three-dimensional cardiac mechanics and electrophysiology. The development of a three-dimensional finite eleme nt model of the rabbit ventricular geometry and fiber architecture is described in detail. Finally, we review the experimental results, from the level of the cell to the intact organ, which motivate the develop ment of coupled three-dimensional models of cardiac electromechanics a nd mechanoelectric feedback. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.