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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 91/2/355    most recent expphysiol.2005.031054v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Trew, M. L. Articles by Smaill, B. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Trew, M. L. Articles by Smaill, B. H. Related Collections Heart/Cardiac Muscle

¹ Bioengineering Institute² Department of Engineering Science³ Department of Physiology, The University of Auckland, New Zealand

Significant tissue structures exist in cardiac ventricular tissue that are of supracellular dimension. It is hypothesized that these tissue structures contribute to the discontinuous spread of electrical activation, may contribute to arrhymogenesis and also provide a substrate for effective cardioversion. However, the influences of these mesoscale tissue structures in intact ventricular tissue are difficult to understand solely on the basis of experimental measurement. Current measurement technology is able to record at both the macroscale tissue level and the microscale cellular or subcellular level, but to date it has not been possible to obtain large volume, direct measurements at the mesoscales. To bridge this scale gap in experimental measurements, we use tissue-specific structure and mathematical modelling. Our models have enabled us to consider key hypotheses regarding discontinuous activation. We also consider the future developments of our intact tissue experimental programme.

(Received 10 October 2005; accepted after revision 16 January 2006; first published online 23 January 2006)
Corresponding author M. Trew: Bioengineering Institute, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. Email: m.trew{at}auckland.ac.nz

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