Effect of the Conduction Network Structure of the Heart on Modeling of the Body Surface Potential Map and the ECG

Accurately modeling cardiac electrical activity within the human torso is complex due to the need to simulate various physiological and anatomical factors, including organ anisotropy and conduction network architecture. This study compares the effect of two different ventricular conduction network models on the Body Surface Potential Map (BSPM) in a realistically shaped human torso derived from CT scans. One network is manually constructed based on trabecular muscle structure, while the other is derived using diffusion volume data. Activation isochrones and BSPMs are simulated and validated against ECGSIM and clinical ECG data. Results indicate that even minor differences in conduction network modeling can lead to significant changes in BSPM accuracy, highlighting the sensitivity and importance of precise network representation in cardiac simulations.