Enhancing OpenEP: atrial conduction velocity and conduction velocity heterogeneity quantification through EP Workbench
Authors: Vigneswaran V , Gharaviri A G , Klis M K , Bodagh N B , Sim I S , Roney C R , Kotadia I K , Niederer S N , O Neill M O , Williams S W 
Published: May 2024

Background

Alterations in atrial conduction velocity have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atrial arrhythmias, with conduction velocity thought to be slower and more heterogeneous in areas promoting atrial fibrillation. However, clinical studies of conduction velocity are challenging since there are no available platforms that provide researchers and clinicians with the ability to quantify conduction velocity and analyse conduction heterogeneity from electroanatomic mapping data.

Purpose

In this paper we sought to address these limitations by enhancing the OpenEP Python library by (1) automating calculations using previously-published conduction velocity estimation algorithms; (2) providing an interactive graphical representing of conduction velocity and conduction heterogeneity and (3) implementing a histogram analysis tool to quantify conduction velocity and enable the identification of slow conduction regions.

Method

Two well-known and previously published methods for calculating cardiac conduction velocity, Triangulation and polynomial surface fitting, were implemented. Conduction velocity estimation was improved further by excluding regions with wave collisions and focal discharges. These regions were identified using the divergence of conduction velocity vector fields, with positive divergence representing focal sources and negative divergence representing areas of collision. Finally, calculated conduction velocities using electrogram data were interpolated over the surface mesh via Radial Basis Function (RBF) interpolation method. All algorithms were implemented in the OpenEP Python library (openep-py), with visualisation tools provided in the complementary graphical interface, EP Workbench.

Results

An extensible "Analysis" feature was created in openep-py, to provide conduction velocity and divergence calculations which are fully customisable through the graphical interface based on user preferences. The EP Workbench desktop application displays resulting cardiac surface maps to depict calculated conduction velocity and divergence fields, together with conventional activation and voltage maps (Figure 1).

The histogram analysis tool can be used to identify regions of slow conduction velocity from electroanatomic mapping data. Using a threshold of &lt;0.3m/s, two slow conducting channels are visualised on the posterior wall of a test case (Figure 2). The tool is not specific to conduction velocity and may also be used to quantify other data types in EP Workbench.

Finally, computed conduction velocity and divergence values and surface maps are stored in the standard OpenEP data structure, allowing further analysis following data export.

Conclusion

We have extended OpenEP to provide a comprehensive set of tools for conduction velocity calculation and analysis which will facilitate investigation of the structural and functional basis of conduction velocity alterations in disease states.