Nonfluoroscopic electromechanical mapping of the left ventricle: Evaluation of the technique as diagnostic tool and as guidance for novel therapeutic strategies

With his landmark paper in Nature Medicine in 1996, Shlomo Ben-Baim and coworkers introduced a novel technique into the clinical arena. Indeed, this initiated the possibility of on-line, real-time, in-cathlab 3-dimensional (3-D) assessment of the function of the left ventricle. Through a dedicated system they were able to exactly locate a catheter in 3-D space, to follow its excursions during ventricular contraction, and while making contact with the ventricular wall, also acquire electrical data. From the initial introduction of the technique, several investigators have shown its possibilities in assessing the quality of the human left ventricle, in evaluating possible recovery of diseased myocardium and in guiding therapies that may treat such conditions. The importance of the assessment of left ventricle dysfunction, its causes and potential treatment strategies cannot be underestimated.

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