| The inverse problem in electrocardiography is the noninvasive reconstruction of epicardial potentials, electrograms, and activation isochrones from measured body surface potentials. The goal of clinical inverse solutions is to image the electrical activity on the epicardial surface of the in vivo heart, noninvasively. Despite advances in the theory and techniques of inverse solutions, inverse solutions in humans have yet to be readily accomplished and verified for clinical use. Here a previously developed imaging methodology is adapted to noninvasively reconstruct epicardial potentials, electrograms, and activation isochrones in humans. This technique combines body surface potential maps (BSPMs) with person specific, geometrical information to reconstruct cardiac electrical activity. This new imaging system can reconstruct general electrical activity, as well as specific electrical events with a resolution of 10--20 mm (1--2 cm). Human subjects with normal physiologic electrical events and with pathological heart processes (e.g. epicardial pacemakers and bundle branch block (LBBB and RBBB)) were used in the design, development, and verification of this new cardiac imaging modality. |
