Topographic concepts in computerized electrocardiology

Modern approaches to automatized electrocardiological diagnostics are mostly based on topographic conception. Thus, initially measured data and the results of data processing are represented by parameters distributed over a surface instead of by the separate time-dependent curves of usual electrocardiograms. Examples of the topographic approach are found in measuring and analyzing body-surface (including precordial) potential distributions, epicardial and endocardial potential distributions, heart surface distributions of the intensity of an equivalent bioelectric generator, significant electrophysiological characteristics of the bioelectrical processes in myocardium, etc. The main advantage of using topographic methods is the ability to comprehensively collect and efficiently analyze all diagnostic information about the electrophysiological state of the heart. Rather useful additional information may be acquired by means of biomagnetic field measurements on the basis of similar topographic techniques. A critical review of recent biophysical, measuring, and computational problems, as well as theoretical and experimental results in the field of topographic electrocardiology is presented.