Generation of Reentry in Anisotropic Myocardium

INTRODUCTION: We investigated numerically the effects of the rotation of fiber axis orientation through the myocardial wall on wave propagation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We show that because of this rotation and inherent discrete properties of myocardium, a premature stimulus can create unidirectional conduction block leading to reentry. CONCLUSION: The dynamics of the subsequent reentrant patterns are complicated by the presence of rotational anisotropy, as the center of reentry drifts, and the reentry terminates in finite time when it collides with the domain boundary.