New methods for 3D visualization and integration of detailed functional and anatomical information in the percutaneous treatment of ventricular arrhythmias.

Cardiac electrophysiology is the study of the electrical system of the heart with as main interest the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, ie. heart rhythms that are too slow (bradyarrhythmias) or too fast (tachy-arrhythmias). Since the 1980’s, we have the possibility to cure patients from various forms of cardiac arrhythmias with radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) procedures. During these procedures, the focus or circuit responsible for the arrhythmias is eliminated by applying damaging energy through an ablation catheter. Conventionally, these ablation procedures are performed under X-ray guidance, called “fluoroscopy”, to visualize the position of the ablation catheters. However, when RFCA is used for the treatment of more complex arrhythmias, conventional fluoroscopic guidance is often insufficient to guarantee precise catheter navigation to specific anatomical ablation targets. In this research project, we propose new methods to guide catheter ablation in the treatment of arrhythmias originating in the ventricle of the heart. We propose both new methods for determining the location of origin of arrhythmias (by combining electrical and anatomical information in a new way), as new methods for guiding our ablation catheter in a safe way to those locations, using holographic projection of anatomical images to guide catheter navigation.