ISSN:
1432-1971
Keywords:
Atrioventricular node
;
Atrioventricular bundle
;
Shaded-surface display
;
Three-dimensional reconstruction
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary Models of the three-dimensional appearance of the human atrioventricular conduction system are a valuable adjunct to its study but are usually not made because to do so is too time-consuming. We used computer graphics techniques to model the conducting system as a whole by generating shaded-surface displays. Histological sections of the human atrioventricular node, bundle, and branches were obtained by cutting sectionsparallel to the plane of the membranous septum from the right side to the left side. Outlines of 20 to 30 of these longitudinal serial sections were traced and digitized; the shaded-surface displays were generated from these outlines. This made it possible to visualize the atrioventricular node, bundle, and branches as seen from any direction, eg, from the right side of the heart, from the left, or from proximal to distal along the axis of the conducting system. Our histological technique in no way compromises conventional histological study because the total surface area of 20 to 30 of these longer sections is about the same as that of 135 to 200 sections taken by the traditional transverse method. We believe that it is so easy to generate these images that our technique represents a useful advance in the study of the conducting system; since the interpolation gap between successive sections is only 30μm by our method, compared with 95μm by the traditional method, our three-dimensional reconstructions should be no less accurate than traditional ones.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02336432
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