Histopathologic analysis of the substrates for human artial arrhythmias

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25860286
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Human pathology
• Research Institution: National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute
• Principal Investigator: MATSUYAMA Takaaki 独立行政法人国立循環器病研究センター, 病院, 医師 (40349113)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 循環器 / 不整脈 / 刺激伝導系 / 心房細動 / 立体構築

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cardiac morphology with regard to cardiac arrhythmias has been a minor field in the studies of cardiac electrophysiology, however, the importance to recognize the precise morphology for elucidating the mechanism of cardiac arrhythmias is being reconsidered by the recent good progress of imaging technology. In this study, we analyzed the histological background of the pulmonary veins and atrioventricular conduction bundle that can be the origins of atrial arrhythmias, using the histologic specimens from the autopsied human hearts. In the study around the atrioventicular node, clear three-dimensional transparent images were reconstructed by the serial sections of atrial septum, and histologic variations were found out even in structurally normal hearts. In the study of pulmonary veins, we analyzed the histologic background in the postmortem cases after pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation.

Free Research Field

人体病理