An eikonal-curvature equation for action potential propagation in myocardium (Q1177001)

This paper intends to derive the equations of a model of propagation of the activation wave in a 3-D anisotropic myocardium. As only the depolarization wave is taken into account, the transmembrane current is modelled by a time-independent cubic-like relation \(I=f(\Phi)\) as a function of the transmembrane potential \(\Phi\), without recovery variables. General equations for the transmembrane potential in a 3-D anisotropic myocardium where the orientation of cardiac fibres is continuously varying from the endocardium to the epicardium are derived. If the depolarization is instantaneous, the wavefront is a surface of potential discontinuity whose position is searched. Then the author gives the equation of motion of the activation wavefront in a 1-D medium with slowly varying coupling coefficients. This calculation is generalized to a 3-D anisotropic medium where the orientation of fibres is slowly varying. The wavefront coordinates satisfy an equation similar to the geometrical optics eikonal equations but here the curvature of the wavefront also influences its speed. For numerical solution, the wavefront position is determined by the isovalue surface of a function satisfying a given equation. ``Planar waves'', that is waves whose restriction for any \(z\) is a straight line of constant direction, are studied. It is proved, in an approximation for high speeds, that the wave travels at the speed of the fibres with which it is most closely aligned. Some numerical solutions of a 3-D ``eikonal-curvature'' equation are given in the case of \(2\pi \over 3\) or \(\pi\over 2\) rotation of the fiber direction from epi- to endocardium. After stimulation in a small region, quasi elliptic wavefronts in each \(z\) level are observed but the main axis is not necessarily aligned with the direction of fibers. Some departure from ellipticity is commented. In some cases, the propagation at epicardium is enhanced by a wave travelling at a higher speed in the midwall. It should be observed that the use of the derived eikonal-curvature equation is not fully justified as the variation of orientation is \(O(1)\) in the domain and so is not slowly variable.