A computer model of myocardial disarray in simulating ECG features of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) was simulated with a computer heart model having a realistic shape and rotating fiber orientation in order to elucidate possible mechanisms for abnormal ECG findings. The disarray of myocardial muscle in HCM was simulated by assigning random fiber direction and isotropic electrophysiologic properties to abnormal hypertrophic regions, in contrast to the anisotropic modeling for normal myocardium. With these models, main ECG features including abnormal Q wave and QS pattern were reproduced and were comparable with clinical findings. This study suggests that the change in anisotropy in the hypertrophic myocardium is likely to be the main factor responsible to the ECG features of HCM.