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Related Experiment Videos

Visualizing excitation waves inside cardiac muscle using transillumination.

W T Baxter1, S F Mironov, A V Zaitsev

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, SUNY Health Science Center, Syracuse, New York 13210, USA.

Biophysical Journal
|February 13, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Voltage-sensitive dyes can now visualize deep cardiac electrical activity using transillumination. This new method reveals intramural reentry, previously undetectable by surface recordings, improving 3D heart mapping.

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Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Biomedical Optics
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes are crucial for mapping cardiac excitation propagation.
  • Current methods primarily rely on surface recordings, limiting deep tissue visualization.
  • Visualizing electrical activity within cardiac muscle layers remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate the feasibility of visualizing cardiac electrical activity from within the muscle using transillumination fluorescence.
  • To assess the signal quality and penetration depth of transillumination measurements in thick cardiac tissue.
  • To explore the potential of transillumination for detecting intramural cardiac phenomena.

Main Methods:

  • Perfused sheep right ventricular wall slabs (8 mm thick) were stained with di-4-ANEPPS.

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  • Electrical activity was measured using transillumination fluorescence, with light sources and detectors on opposite sides.
  • Light attenuation was measured to determine penetration depths for excitation and emission wavelengths.

    • Main Results:

    • Transillumination successfully visualized electrical activity from deep within cardiac muscle.
    • Signal-to-noise ratios were lower than epi-illumination but sufficient for determining activation sequences.
    • Penetration depths were 0.8 mm (excitation) and 1.3 mm (emission), with 90% signal from the near surface layer.
    • A significant portion of the signal originated from >1 mm below the surface, revealing intramural reentry.

    Conclusions:

    • Transillumination fluorescence is a viable method for visualizing deep cardiac electrical activity.
    • This technique enhances 3D mapping by providing intramural insights, complementing surface recordings.
    • Transillumination can detect intramural events like reentry, which are missed by surface-based methods.