Visualizing the complex 3D geometry of the perfusion border zone in isolated rabbit heart

Myocardial infarction, caused by a major blockage of a coronary artery, creates a border zone (BZ) between perfused and nonperfused tissue, which is believed to be the origin of fatal cardiac arrhythmias. We used a combination of optical clearing and polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomograp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied optics. Optical technology and biomedical optics Vol. 51; no. 14; p. 2713
Main Authors Smith, Rebecca M, Black, Adam J, Velamakanni, Saalini S, Akkin, Taner, Tolkacheva, Elena G
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 10.05.2012
Subjects
Animals
Arrhythmias, Cardiac - etiology
Arrhythmias, Cardiac - pathology
Arrhythmias, Cardiac - physiopathology
Electrophysiological Phenomena
Imaging, Three-Dimensional
In Vitro Techniques
Myocardial Infarction - complications
Myocardial Infarction - pathology
Myocardial Infarction - physiopathology
Myocardium - pathology
Optical Phenomena
Rabbits
Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods
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Summary:Myocardial infarction, caused by a major blockage of a coronary artery, creates a border zone (BZ) between perfused and nonperfused tissue, which is believed to be the origin of fatal cardiac arrhythmias. We used a combination of optical clearing and polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography to visualize a three-dimensional organization of the BZ in isolated rabbit hearts (n=5) at the microscopic level with a high spatial resolution. We found that the BZ has a complex three-dimensional structure with nonperfused areas penetrating into perfused tissue with finger-like projections. These "fingers" may play an important role in the initiation and maintenance of ventricular arrhythmias.
ISSN:2155-3165
DOI:10.1364/AO.51.002713