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Maesen B, Verheule S, Zeemering S, La Meir M, Nijs J, Lumeij S, Lau DH, Granier M, Crijns HJ, Maessen JG, Dhein S, Schotten U. Endomysial fibrosis, rather than overall connective tissue content, is the main determinant of conduction disturbances in human atrial fibrillation. Europace 2022; 24:1015-1024. [PMID: 35348667 PMCID: PMC9282911 DOI: 10.1093/europace/euac026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims Although in persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) a complex AF substrate characterized by a high incidence of conduction block has been reported, relatively little is known about AF complexity in paroxysmal AF (pAF). Also, the relative contribution of various aspects of structural alterations to conduction disturbances is not clear. In particular, the contribution of endomysial fibrosis to conduction disturbances during progression of AF has not been studied yet. Methods and results During cardiac surgery, epicardial high-density mapping was performed in patients with acutely induced (aAF, n = 11), pAF (n = 12), and longstanding persistent AF (persAF, n = 9) on the right atrial (RA) wall, the posterior left atrial wall (pLA) and the LA appendage (LAA). In RA appendages, overall and endomysial (myocyte-to-myocyte distances) fibrosis and connexin 43 (Cx43) distribution were quantified. Unipolar AF electrogram analysis showed a more complex pattern with a larger number of narrower waves, more breakthroughs and a higher fractionation index (FI) in persAF compared with aAF and pAF, with no differences between aAF and pAF. The FI was consistently higher at the pLA compared with the RA. Structurally, Cx43 lateralization increased with AF progression (aAF = 7.5 ± 8.9%, pAF = 24.7 ± 11.1%, persAF = 35.1 ± 11.4%, P < 0.001). Endomysial but not overall fibrosis correlated with AF complexity (r = 0.57, P = 0.001; r = 0.23, P = 0.20; respectively). Conclusions Atrial fibrillation complexity is highly variable in patients with pAF, but not significantly higher than in patients with acutely induced AF, while in patients with persistent AF complexity is higher. Among the structural alterations studied, endomysial fibrosis, but not overall fibrosis, is the strongest determinant of AF complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Maesen
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sander Verheule
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, PO Box 616, 6200MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Stef Zeemering
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, PO Box 616, 6200MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark La Meir
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, UZ Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jan Nijs
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, UZ Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Stijn Lumeij
- Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, PO Box 616, 6200MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Dennis H Lau
- Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, PO Box 616, 6200MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Mathieu Granier
- Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, PO Box 616, 6200MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Harry Jgm Crijns
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jos G Maessen
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Stefan Dhein
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Clinic for Cardiac Surgery, Heart Centre Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ulrich Schotten
- Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, PO Box 616, 6200MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Gutbrod SR, Walton R, Gilbert S, Meillet V, Jaïs P, Hocini M, Haïssaguerre M, Dubois R, Bernus O, Efimov IR. Quantification of the transmural dynamics of atrial fibrillation by simultaneous endocardial and epicardial optical mapping in an acute sheep model. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2015; 8:456-65. [PMID: 25713215 DOI: 10.1161/circep.114.002545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Therapy strategies for atrial fibrillation based on electric characterization are becoming viable personalized medicine approaches to treat a notoriously difficult disease. In light of these approaches that rely on high-density surface mapping, this study aims to evaluate the presence of 3-dimensional electric substrate variations within the transmural wall during acute episodes of atrial fibrillation. METHODS AND RESULTS Optical signals were simultaneously acquired from the epicardial and endocardial tissue during acute fibrillation in ovine isolated left atria. Dominant frequency, regularity index, propagation angles, and phase dynamics were assessed and correlated across imaging planes to gauge the synchrony of the activation patterns compared with paced rhythms. Static frequency parameters were well correlated spatially between the endocardium and the epicardium (dominant frequency, 0.79 ± 0.06 and regularity index, 0.93 ± 0.009). However, dynamic tracking of propagation vectors and phase singularity trajectories revealed discordant activity across the transmural wall. The absolute value of the difference in the number, spatial stability, and temporal stability of phase singularities between the epicardial and the endocardial planes was significantly >0 with a median difference of 1.0, 9.27%, and 19.75%, respectively. The number of wavefronts with respect to time was significantly less correlated and the difference in propagation angle was significantly larger in fibrillation compared with paced rhythms. CONCLUSIONS Atrial fibrillation substrates are dynamic 3-dimensional structures with a range of discordance between the epicardial and the endocardial tissue. The results of this study suggest that transmural propagation may play a role in atrial fibrillation maintenance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Gutbrod
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.)
| | - Richard Walton
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.)
| | - Stephen Gilbert
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.)
| | - Valentin Meillet
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.)
| | - Pierre Jaïs
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.)
| | - Mélèze Hocini
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.)
| | - Michel Haïssaguerre
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.)
| | - Rémi Dubois
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.)
| | - Olivier Bernus
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.)
| | - Igor R Efimov
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO (S.R.G., I.R.E.); L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque LIRYC, Université de Bordeaux, France (S.R.G., R.W., S.G., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B., I.R.E.); Inserm, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); Université de Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux U1045, Bordeaux, France (R.W., V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H., R.D., O.B.); CHU de Bordeaux, Hôpital du Haut Lévêque, Pessac, France (V.M., P.J., M.H., M.H.); and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany (S.G.).
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