INTRODUCTION Idiopathic dilatation of the right atrium (IDRA) is a rare abnormality usually detected by chance at any time between antenatal and adult life. It is defined as isolated enlargement of the right atrium in the absence of other cardiac lesions causing right atrial dilatation. IDRA can be associated with atrial arrhythmia and systemic embolism. The clinical presentation shows high var...

Although the canine atrium has proven useful in several experimental models of atrial fibrillation and for studying the effects of rapid atrial pacing on atrial electrical remodeling, it may not fully represent the human condition because of reported differences in functional ionic currents and ion channel subunit expression. In this study, we reassessed the molecular components underlying one ...

The pulmonary capillaries are in such close proximity to the terminal airways that changes in capillary blood temperature should also cause changes in bronchial wall temperature. Therefore, we hypothesized that injection of cold solutions into the pulmonary artery would yield bronchial temperature-time curves similar to those in the pulmonary artery and left atrium. These bronchial curves shoul...

To investigate the existence of heterogeneity of j-type myosin isozymes (HC,6) in human hearts, immunohistochemical studies using monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) raised against human ventricular myosin heavy chains were performed. Two types of MoAbs recognized some muscle fibers in the atrium, whereas both reacted with all ventricular muscle fibers. Since atrial muscle fibers reactive with each M...

Antibodies were produced against myosins isolated from the left atrial myocardium (anti-bAm) and the left ventricular myocardium (anti-bVm) of the bovine heart. Cross-reactive antibodies were removed by cross-absorption. Absorbed anti-bAm and anti-bVm were specific for the myosin heavy chains when tested by enzyme immunoassay combined with SDS gel electrophoresis. Indirect immunofluorescence wa...

PINKERSON, ALAN I;., MYRON H. LURIA, AND EDWARD D. FREE, Effect of cardim rhythm on vena caval blood j?ows. Am. J, Physiol. 2 I o(3) : 505-508. I g66.-Cannulating electromagnetic flow probes were inserted into superior and inferior venae cavae of anesthetized mongrel dogs. The relationship between instantaneous venous blood flow and right atria1 and ventricular activities was studied during bot...

BACKGROUND The junction between the coronary sinus (CS) musculature and both atria contributes to initiation of atrial tachyarrhythmias. The current study investigated the effects of CS isolation from the atria by radiofrequency catheter ablation on the induction and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS AND RESULTS Using an optical mapping system, we mapped action potentials at 25...

Segmentation of the left atrium is vital for pre-operative assessment of its anatomy in radio-frequency catheter ablation (RFCA) surgery. RFCA is commonly used for treating atrial fibrillation. In this paper we present an semi-automatic approach for segmenting the left atrium and the pulmonary veins from MR angiography (MRA) data sets. We also present an automatic approach for further subdividi...