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MRI-Based Computational Torso/Biventricular Multiscale Models to Investigate the Impact of Anatomical Variability on the ECG QRS Complex

Mincholé, Ana; Rodriguez, Blanca; Grau, Vicente; Zacur, Ernesto; Ariga, Rina

Abstract

Aims:Patient-to-patient anatomical differences are an important source of variability in the electrocardiogram, and they may compromise the identification of pathological electrophysiological abnormalities. This study aims at quantifying the contribution of variability in ventricular and torso anatomies to differences in QRS complexes of the 12-lead ECG using computer simulations. Methods:A computational pipeline is presented that enables computer simulations using human torso/biventricular anatomically based electrophysiological models from clinically standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The ventricular model includes membrane kinetics represented by the biophysically detailed O’Hara Rudy model modified for tissue heterogeneity and includes fiber orientation based on the Streeter rule. A population of 265 torso/biventricular models was generated by combining ventricular and torso anatomies obtained from clinically standard MRIs, augmented with a statistical shape model of the body. 12-lead ECGs were simulated on the 265 human torso/biventricular electrophysiology models, and QRS morphology,duration and amplitude were quantified in each ECG lead for each of the human torso-biventricular models. Results:QRS morphologies in limb leads are mainly determined by ventricular anatomy,while in the precordial leads, and especially V1 to V4, they are determined by heart position within the torso. Differences in ventricular orientation within the torso can explain morphological variability from monophasic to biphasic QRS complexes. QRS duration ismainly influenced by myocardial volume, while it is hardly affected by the torso anatomyor position. An average increase of 0.12±0.05 ms in QRS duration is obtained for eachcm3of myocardial volume across all the leads while it hardly changed due to changes in torso volume. Conclusion:Computer simulations using populations of human torso/biventricular models based on clinical MRI enable quantification of anatomical causes of variability in the QRS complex of the 12-lead ECG. The human models presented also pave theway toward their use as testbeds in silico clinical trials Mincholé, Ana; Zacur, Ernesto; Ariga, Rina; Grau, Vicente; Rodriguez, Blanca

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phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 1 ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 27 Augus 2019 doi: 10.3389/ phys.2019.01103 Edi ed by: Ja ie Saiz, Poly echnic Uni e si y o Valencia, Spain Re iewed by: A un V. Holden, Uni e si y o Leeds, Uni ed Kingdom Gunna Seemann, Uni e si y Hea Cen e F eibu g, Ge many *Co espondence: Ana Mincholé [email p o ec ed] †These au ho s ha e con ibu ed equally o his wo k as i s au ho s ‡These au ho s ha e con ibu ed equally o his wo k as senio au ho s Special y sec ion: This a icle was submi ed o Compu a ional Physiology and Medicine, a sec ion o he jou nal F on ie s in Physiology Recei ed: 08 Ma ch 2019 Accep ed: 08 Augus 2019 Published: 27 Augus 2019 Ci a ion: Mincholé A, Zacu E, A iga R, G au V and Rod iguez B (2019) MRI-Based Compu a ional To so/Bi en icula Mul iscale Models o In es iga e he Impac o Ana omical Va iabili y on he ECG QRS Complex. F on . Physiol. 10:1103. doi: 10.3389/ phys.2019.01103 MRI-Based Compu a ional To so/Bi en icula Mul iscale Models o In es iga e he Impac o Ana omical Va iabili y on he ECG QRS Complex Ana Mincholé1*†, E nes o Zacu 2†, Rina A iga3, Vicen e G au2‡and Blanca Rod iguez1‡ 1Depa men o Compu e Science, Uni e si y o Ox o d, Ox o d, Uni ed Kingdom, 2Ins i u e o Biomedical Enginee ing (IBME), Uni e si y o Ox o d, Ox o d, Uni ed Kingdom, 3Di ision o Ca dio ascula Medicine, Radcli e Depa men o Medicine, Uni e si y o Ox o d, Ox o d, Uni ed Kingdom Aims: Pa ien - o-pa ien ana omical di e ences a e an impo an sou ce o a iabili y in he elec oca diog am, and hey may comp omise he iden i ica ion o pa hological elec ophysiological abno mali ies. This s udy aims a quan i ying he con ibu ion o a iabili y in en icula and o so ana omies o di e ences in QRS complexes o he 12-lead ECG using compu e simula ions. Me hods: A compu a ional pipeline is p esen ed ha enables compu e simula ions using human o so/bi en icula ana omically based elec ophysiological models om clinically s anda d magne ic esonance imaging (MRI). The en icula model includes memb ane kine ics ep esen ed by he biophysically de ailed O’Ha a Rudy model modi ied o issue he e ogenei y and includes ibe o ien a ion based on he S ee e ule. A popula ion o 265 o so/bi en icula models was gene a ed by combining en icula and o so ana omies ob ained om clinically s anda d MRIs, augmen ed wi h a s a is ical shape model o he body. 12-lead ECGs we e simula ed on he 265 human o so/bi en icula elec ophysiology models, and QRS mo phology, du a ion and ampli ude we e quan i ied in each ECG lead o each o he human o so-bi en icula models. Resul s: QRS mo phologies in limb leads a e mainly de e mined by en icula ana omy, while in he p eco dial leads, and especially V1 o V4, hey a e de e mined by hea posi ion wi hin he o so. Di e ences in en icula o ien a ion wi hin he o so can explain mo phological a iabili y om monophasic o biphasic QRS complexes. QRS du a ion is mainly in luenced by myoca dial olume, while i is ha dly a ec ed by he o so ana omy o posi ion. An a e age inc ease o 0.12 ±0.05 ms in QRS du a ion is ob ained o each cm3o myoca dial olume ac oss all he leads while i ha dly changed due o changes in o so olume. F on ie s in Physiology | www. on ie sin.o g 1Augus 2019 | Volume 10 | A icle 1103 phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 2 Mincholé e al. Impac o Ana omy on ECG QRS Complex Conclusion: Compu e simula ions using popula ions o human o so/bi en icula models based on clinical MRI enable quan i ica ion o ana omical causes o a iabili y in he QRS complex o he 12-lead ECG. The human models p esen ed also pa e he way owa d hei use as es beds in silico clinical ials. Keywo ds: clinical MRI-based o so/ en icula ana omical models, compu e simula ions, elec oca diog am, compu a ional modeling, ca diac magne ic esonance imaging INTRODUCTION The elec oca diog am (ECG) is he mos widely used clinical ool o e alua ion o ca diac unc ion. I eco ds he elec ical ac i i y o he hea om elec odes posi ioned on he pa ien ’s o so, and he du a ion, ampli ude, and mo phology o ECG wa e o ms in he di e en leads a e used o pa ien s’ diagnosis (Mac a lane and Law ie, 2010). Elec oca diog am ea u es, and speci ically i s QRS complex, a e a ec ed no only by mic os uc u al and physiological ac o s such as ibe o ien a ion, Pu kinje, myoca dial conduc ion pa hways and ionic cu en s (Boineau and Spach, 1968), bu also by ana omical cha ac e is ics such as hea size and o ien a ion, en icula wall hickness, and body mass index (Hoekema e al., 1999, 2001; an Oos e om e al., 2000;Co lan e al., 2005). Quan i a i e in o ma ion on he la e is, howe e , sca ce. An expe imen al s udy showed la ge changes in QRS wi h a ying hea loca ions, using one isola ed pe used dog hea suspended in an elec oly ic o so ank (MacLeod e al., 2000). Compu e simula ion s udies a e ideally placed o p o ide insigh on he unde lying basis o he ECG. Mos o he p e ious compu a ional s udies ocused on simula ing he ECG using a single hea ana omy as (Kelle e al., 2010;Zemzemi e al., 2013;Zemzemi and Rod iguez, 2015;Neic e al., 2017; Po se, 2018). Mo e ecen ly, a compu a ional s udy using o so- bi en icula ana omical models o i e pa ien s wi h hea ailu e showed ha hea posi ion and o ien a ion s ongly al e ed QRS ampli ude, bu only sligh ly, QRS du a ion (Nguyên e al., 2015). Sánchez e al. (2018) also p o ided insigh s in o he key ac o s de e mining he ECG cha ac e is ics based on da a o six hea ailu e pa ien s. These s udies highligh he po en ial o compu e simula ion s udies using image-based models o shed ligh in o he ana omical basis go e ning ECG a iabili y and he QRS complex. Whe eas he dense olume ic in o ma ion and high esolu ion o cu en CT scans is a clea ad an age in he cons uc ion o ca diac ana omical models (Naza ian and Halpe in, 2018) o ECG simula ions, he adia ion in ol ed limi s hei use, o example in heal hy subjec s. The al e na i e o using magne ic esonance imaging (MRI) scans is e y a ac i e as hey p o ide good quali y ca diac images sa ely and non-in asi ely. Clinical p o ocols, howe e , ocus on he hea and he e o e in o ma ion on he o so is sca ce. This is why p e ious s udies ha e used MRI scans ob ained using dedica ed imaging p o ocols, no sui able o ou ine clinical p ac ice (Po se e al., 2014;Sánchez e al., 2018). Me hodological ad ances a e he e o e needed o exploi clinically s anda d MRI da abases in compu e simula ions s udies using image-based human o so/bi en icula ana omical models. The goal o his s udy is o conduc a compu e simula ion s udy using a popula ion o 265 o so- en icula ana omical models based on clinically s anda d MRI o dissec and quan i y he indi idual con ibu ion o en icula and o so ana omy on QRS bioma ke s in he 12-lead ECG. We hypo hesize ha QRS complexes in each o he s anda d 12-lead ECGs a e a ec ed di e en ly by geome ical ac o s such as en icula ana omy, hea o ien a ion and loca ion, o o so ana omy. To es his hypo hesis, we de elop a compu a ional pipeline o conduc high- pe o mance compu ing (HPC) elec ophysiological simula ions using biophysically de ailed compu a ional human models wi h en icula and o so ana omies ob ained om clinically s anda d ca diac MRI acquisi ions. In a clinical scena io, he new insigh s could acili a e an imp o ed disc imina ion in clinical ECG eco dings be ween he con ibu ions o pa ien ’s ana omical ea u es and hose a ising om a ca diac condi ion o disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS Recons uc ion o Ven icula and To so Ana omical Meshes F om Clinical MRI In his s udy, a o al o 265 combined o so- en icles ana omical models we e conside ed o quan i y he e ec o en icula and o so olumes, and hea posi ion and o ien a ion on he QRS complex. Ini ially, as desc ibed in Figu e 1, wen y- i e human hea - o so models we e gene a ed by combining he bi- en icula geome ies (H1–H5) and o sos (T1–T5) (including co esponding hea o ien a ions and posi ions) ex ac ed om clinical MRI acquisi ion om 5 heal hy subjec s. The MRI da ase s we e selec ed o include en icula end dias olic myoca dial olumes be ween 75 and 170 cm3and o so olumes be ween 23 and 54 dm3. Then, ei he o a ion o ansla ion was applied o each bi- en icula model wi hin each o so. 5◦s eps up o (±40◦we e conside ed bo h a ound he long axis (LA) and a ound he le - o- igh - en icle axis (LR) (Nguyên e al., 2015). T ansla ion was conside ed in 1 cm s eps up o (±4 cm ei he along he la e al o along c anio-caudal di ec ions. The MRI scans we e ob ained in i e heal hy subjec s ( h ee emales and wo males) wi h a ange o en icula end-dias olic myoca dial olumes be ween 75 and 170 cm3and o so olumes be ween 23 and 54 dm3, ec ui ed a John Radcli e Hospi al, Ox o d, Uni ed Kingdom. Subjec s we e non-smoke s wi hou ca dio ascula disease, hype ension o diabe es, and no amily his o y o ca diomyopa hy o sudden ca diac dea h (SCD). F on ie s in Physiology | www. on ie sin.o g 2Augus 2019 | Volume 10 | A icle 1103 phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 3 Mincholé e al. Impac o Ana omy on ECG QRS Complex FIGURE 1 | (A) Compu a ional pipeline om clinical MRI segmen a ions h ough cons uc ion o hea and o so geome ies o he HPC simula ion o elec ophysiology om ionic o body su ace po en ials. Following MRI segmen a ions, hea su ace is ob ained by emo ing b ea h misalignmen and o so su ace by using he spa se in o ma ion om he MRI con ou s oge he wi h a s a is ical body shape model. Wi h he olume ic meshes, elec ophysiological p ope ies such as an ac ion po en ial model and an ac i a ion model a e used o simula e elec ical ac i i y om cell o o so and calcula e he 12-lead ECG. (B) 25 o so- en icula ana omical models combining i e o sos (T1–T5) and i e en icles (H1–H5) o a ying olumes. (C) Hea pose wi hin he o so de ined as he ans o ma ion om a canonical coo dina e sys em o he en icula geome y o he o so coo dina e sys em. Clinically s anda d cine ca diac MRI acquisi ion was pe o med o each subjec , including long axis (LAX) and a s ack o sho axis (SAX) iews. Mo e speci ically, o each subjec , he da a includes a 2 chambe LAX iew, 4 chambe iew, and a s ack o SAX iew om apex o base wi h 10 mm o sepa a ion be ween adjacen slices in he s ack (8 mm slice hickness plus 2 mm gap). Image esolu ion anges om 1.4 o 1.6 mm pe pixel. An expe wi h se e al yea s o expe ience in ca diac MRI segmen ed he images a end-dias ole including he ollowing s uc u es: le epica dium, le en icle (LV) endoca dium excluding he papilla y muscles, and igh en icle (RV) endoca dium (see Figu e 1A, Segmen a ion). As he image esolu ion in s anda d MRI acquisi ions does no allow o di e en ia e igh en icula epica dial and endoca dial con ou s in he igh en icle, we syn hesized igh epica dial con ou s by a 3.5 mm o se om he endoca dial con ou s (P akash, 1978). Spa ial misalignmen s in slice images and spa ial disc epancies be ween he con ou s due o acquisi ions a di e en b ea h holds we e co ec ed by aligning in ensi y p o iles o in e sec ing slices using a 3D igid ans o ma ion o each image (Villa d e al., 2017) (see Figu e 1A, Con ou s alignmen ). Bi- en icula geome ies we e buil om he aligned con ou s using he end-dias ole ames om he s anda d CINE acquisi ion as in Villa d e al. (2018) and Zacu e al. (2017). Fo he cons uc ion o he o so geome ies, semi-au oma ic ools we e de eloped and used o delinea e he o so skin and lungs (Zacu e al., 2017). In b ie , on each subjec , he scou images (localize s), as well as, mos o he MRI images (SAX and LAX images) wi h a la ge enough ield o iew we e used and con ou ed. The spa se 3D geome ical in o ma ion om he o so images is insu icien o he use o classical segmen a ion o su ace me hods such as isocon ou ing ools (Figu e 1A, 3-Dimensional o so a angemen ). Thus, we de eloped and applied a me hodology o i a s a is ical shape model o he human body o he skin con ou s (Zacu e al., 2017). The o so con ou s oge he wi h subjec heigh , weigh and gende in o ma ion we e used o econs uc a body su ace belonging o a lea ned class o plausible body shapes om he s a is ical shape model (Pishchulin e al., 2017;Zacu e al., 2017). The a e age disc epancy be ween MRI-based con ou s and model su ace is F on ie s in Physiology | www. on ie sin.o g 3Augus 2019 | Volume 10 | A icle 1103 phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 4 Mincholé e al. Impac o Ana omy on ECG QRS Complex FIGURE 2 | (A) Endoca dial ac i a ion maps o he i e en icula geome ies. In o ma ion abou en icula olumes is also p o ided. (B) Homologous 12-lead elec ode posi ions o he i e i ualized subjec s. In o ma ion abou he o so olumes is p o ided. FIGURE 3 | E ec o en icula geome y on QRS du a ion, and S and R wa e ampli ude. (A) Simula ed QRS complexes ob ained o i e en icula geome ies placed in he o so-pose o Subjec 3 (T3). (B) QRS du a ion (le ), S and R ampli ude (middle and igh , espec i ely) ob ained om simula ions using he i e en icula geome ies (H1 o H5) placed in each o he i e o so-poses (T1 o T5). The e m “a.u.” s ands o a bi a y uni s. 3 mm in e ms o oo mean squa e, being he 90 h pe cen ile 5 mm. A empla e-based app oach was used o place o he in e nal s uc u es such as he lungs and he ibs (Figu e 1A, Su ace meshes). Full de ails abou he p ocedu e a e p o ided in Zacu e al. (2017). All su aces we e emeshed wi h di e en elemen sizes o ensu e nume ical con e gence o he ini e elemen so wa e Chas e o elec ophysiological simula ions (Pi - F ancis e al., 2009;Du a e al., 2016) as desc ibed in Supplemen a y Ma e ial S1. Finally, e ahed al olume ic F on ie s in Physiology | www. on ie sin.o g 4Augus 2019 | Volume 10 | A icle 1103 phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 5 Mincholé e al. Impac o Ana omy on ECG QRS Complex meshes we e cons uc ed om hese su aces (see Supplemen a y Ma e ial S1). The su ace and olume ic meshes can be downloaded om h p://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/ccs/home. Figu e 1B shows he econs uc ed en icula geome ies and, he o so geome ies including hei co esponding hea o ien a ions and posi ions, cons ained by ches bounda ies. The gene a ion o a new i ual o so- en icula geome y equi es he ans o ma ion o he en icula geome y om a canonical e e ence ame o he posi ion de ined by he o so (pose, see Figu e 1C). He eina e , o so-pose is de ined as he o so geome y including he hea pose, which ep esen s he coo dina e sys em and loca ion o he hea . This o so- pose linking is suppo ed by physical cons ain s such as ches bounda ies, since one speci ic o so ana omy does no allow any hea posi ion (Engblom e al., 2005). Fu he in o ma ion is ound in Supplemen a y Ma e ial S1. Elec ophysiological Simula ions The ana omical o so- en icula model combina ions desc ibed abo e we e used o compu e 265 QRS complexes om compu e simula ions as ollows. The p opaga ion o he elec ical ac i i y in he human en icles and o so was modeled using he ully coupled hea - o so bidomain equa ions and sol ed wi h he Chas e so wa e (Pi -F ancis e al., 2009). Human en icula memb ane kine ics we e simula ed wi h a modi ied e sion o he O’Ha a-Rudy ac ion po en ial model (O’Ha a e al., 2011) published in Du a e al. (2017). Myoca dial and o so conduc i i ies, and, myoca dial ibe s uc u e we e se as desc ibed in Supplemen a y Ma e ial S2. An aniso opic myoca dial ibe a chi ec u e was implemen ed using he S ee e ule (S ee e e al., 1969). The h ee o ho opic in acellula and ex acellula myoca dial conduc i i ies we e se as in Ca done-Noo e al. (2016). T ansmu al, apex- o-base and in e en icula cell elec ophysiological he e ogenei ies we e in oduced based on expe imen al and clinical da a and as desc ibed in Supplemen a y Ma e ial S2. The QRS complex is ha dly a ec ed by he elec ophysiological he e ogenei ies included in ou models as hey mainly a ec he epola iza ion p ope ies and he T wa e. Howe e , hey p o ide ou compu a ional pipeline wi h all he s a e o he a capabili ies o ex end he wo k o in es iga e a iabili y in T wa e mo phology, as well as unde disease and d ug ac ion. Sinus hy hm was simula ed using a phenomenological ac i a ion model wi h ea ly endoca dial ac i a ion ini ia ed by oo nodes and a as endoca dial laye ep esen ing a igh ly packed endoca dial Pu kinje ne wo k (Ca done-Noo e al., 2016). In sho , 7 oo nodes a e posi ioned in he en icles on he endoca dium: ou in he LV (LV mid sep um, LV an e io pa asep al, and wo LV mid-pos e io ) and h ee in he RV (RV mid sep um, wo RV ee wall), as shown in Supplemen a y Ma e ial S2. Simula ed en icula ac i a ion imes o hese models show he LV endoca dial su aces a e ully ac i a ed wi hin a ange o 39 o 51 ms, and he la es momen s o ac i a ion occu s in a ange om 57 o 76 ms. This is in ag eemen wi h he ex i o mic oelec ode eco dings by Du e e al. (1970) epo ing a ound 45 ms in endoca dial LV ac i a ion, and om 60 o 80 ms he la es momen s o whole en icula ac i a ion. The aim o his s udy is o in es iga e, analyze and quan i y he e ec o ana omical/geome ical a iabili y on he QRS complexes in an elec ophysiological compu e simula ion amewo k. I is no o cons uc pe sonalized elec ophysiology models o eplica e each o he pa ien s’ da a. In o de o isola e he e ec o en icula ana omy om di e ences in ac i a ion pa e ns, he endoca dial speed was se o 120 cm/s in all models, and he loca ions o he oo nodes we e mapped o ana omically homologous loca ions om he geome y used in a p e ious s udy (Ca done-Noo e al., 2016). The coupled epica dial, RV and LV endoca dial su aces and en icula inse ion poin s om he o iginal geome y (Ca done-Noo e al., 2016) we e di eomo phically egis e ed o each en icula geome y using a composi ion o app oxima ed Thin-Pla e Splines (TPS) de o ma ions (Roh e al., 2001). The de o ma ion me hod was guided by an i e a ed closes poin be ween he co esponding sou ce and a ge su aces/s uc u es (le and igh endo- and epica dial su aces, a io- en icula planes, and an e io and pos e io in e en icula g oo es). The successi e de o ma ions we e pe o med by ollowing an annealing p ocess in he smoo hness pa ame e o app oxima ed TPS (Ambe g e al., 2007). The esul ing egis e ed de o ma ion was applied o he ea ly ac i a ion si es om he o iginal geome y esul ing in he ana omically homologous loca ions ha lead o simila ac i a ion sequences (see Figu e 2A). The esul ing de o ma ions and he mapped ac i a ion si es we e isually e alua ed and app o ed by an expe ca diologis . This echnique was used gi en i s b oad accep ance and success in he medical imaging and shape analysis ield bu he uni e sal en icula coo dina es could ep esen an al e na i e (Baye e al., 2018). QRS complexes om he 12-lead ECGs we e simula ed by placing i ual elec odes in he s anda d 12-lead ECG posi ions o each o so. Since he s a is ical shape model used o econs uc ing he o sos is based on ana omical co espondences, he i ual elec odes a e loca ed in ana omically homologous loca ions o all he o sos (see Figu e 2B). These elec ode posi ions co espond o analogous in e cos al spaces o all subjec s. Elec ode coo dina es a e gi en o each o he o so geome ies, and can be downloaded om h p://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/ccs/home. To simula e he QRS complex o 265 combina ions o en icula / o so posi ions and o ien a ions while minimizing he numbe o expensi e HPC simula ions, ex acellula po en ials we e compu ed om he en icula po en ials ollowing he in eg al o dipole sou ce densi y o mula ion (Gima and Rudy, 2002;Plonsey and Ba , 2007) as: φ(e)=Z  −D∇Vm·∇1 || −e||d , whe e e=ex,ey,eza e he elec ode posi ion coo dina es, Dis he di usion enso , and Vmis he memb ane po en ial. The in eg al is calcula ed o e he whole myoca dium olume, . Bidomain simula ions coupled wi h he Poisson equa ion o p opaga e he elec ical ac i i y o he body su ace we e compa ed o he in eg a ion o dipole sou ce densi y o mula ion o he o so p opaga ion. The esul ing QRS complexes we e e y simila as shown in Supplemen a y Figu e S3 om F on ie s in Physiology | www. on ie sin.o g 5Augus 2019 | Volume 10 | A icle 1103 phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 6 Mincholé e al. Impac o Ana omy on ECG QRS Complex Supplemen a y Ma e ial S2. The p opaga ion model based on he in eg a ion o dipole sou ce densi y o mula ion was chosen in o de o simpli y he nume ical complexi y o he compu a ions and o a oid e-meshing he o so olume o each scena io in which he en icula geome y was o a ed, ansla ed o pe mu ed. Al hough his me hod does no allow he inclusion o issue inhomogenei ies in he o so, se e al s udies sugges minimal di e ences in he esul ing body su ace po en ials and he QRS complex when assuming homogeneous o inhomogeneous o so models (Ramana han and Rudy, 2001; Genese e al., 2008). Quan i ica ion o QRS-Based Fea u es and Desc ip o s Clinically used ea u es om he QRS, such as du a ion and ampli ude, we e ex ac ed o each o he simula ed 12-lead ECGs. QRS du a ion is calcula ed by using a ela i e h eshold on he absolu e alue o he slopes o he ECG signal o iden i y QRS onse and o se as in Ma ínez e al. (2004). We compa ed he simula ion esul s wi h hose epo ed in he li e a u e and also clinical ECG eco dings om heal hy olun ee s, as pa o a p ospec i e s udy app o ed by he Na ional Resea ch E hics Commi ee (REC e 12/LO/1979). In o med w i en consen was ob ained om each pa icipan (Lyon e al., 2018a). Fu he mo e, in o de o quan i y he e ec o ana omical a iabili y in QRS mo phology, we p oposed a simila i y measu e o quan i y QRS mo phological di e ences, in a ian o QRS ampli ude and du a ion. The new me ic (PC∗) is based on a con inuous gene aliza ion o he Pea son coe icien (PC), which in o de o ensu e independence om QRS du a ion, includes he in a iance o a uni o m wa ping ( ime scaling) in ime o he QRS complex. The e o e, PC∗be ween wo QRS complexes is 1 when hese ha e he same mo phology ega dless o he ampli ude o he du a ion. Le and gbe wo unc ions de ined on he domains dom( )=h 0, 1iand dom(g)= g 0, g 1, espec i ely. Le ’s assume ha dom( )∩dom(g)6= ∅ and le ’s conside he combined domain [ 0, 1]= dom( )∪dom(g), whe e 0= min 0, g 0and 1= max 1, g 1. On his combined domain, le ˜ be he eplica ed ex ension o he o iginal unc ion , ˜ =       ( )i ∈h 0, 1i ( 0)i < 0 ( 1)i < 1 and equi alen ly o ˜ g. Ou p oposed gene alized PC is gi en by PC ,g=1 1− 0 1 Z 0 ˜ ( )−µ˜ σ˜ ·˜g( )−µ˜g σ˜g d (1) whe e µ˜ and µ˜ga e means, and σ˜ and σ˜ga e he s anda d de ia ions o he unc ions ˜ ( ) and ˜ g( ), espec i ely, µ˜ =1 1− 0 1 Z 0 ˜ ( )d , σ˜ = u u u 1 1− 0 1 Z 0˜ ( )−µ˜ 2d and equi alen ly o µ˜gand σ˜g. The sub ac ion o he means µ˜ and µ˜gin Eq. (1) ensu es he in a iance o PC unde changes in he baseline le els. Likewise, no maliza ions by σ˜ and σ˜g, endow PC wi h in a iance o scaling. The no maliza ion by ( 1− 0) allows independence om ime uni s. Thus, PC alues a e wi hin he [–1, 1] in e al. In o de o ensu e independence om QRS du a ion, we include he in a iance o a uni o m wa ping ( ime scaling) in ime h ough he ollowing simila i y measu emen PC∗: PC ∗ ,g= max s∈R+PC (·),g(s·), whe e g(s·) is a uni o mly ime-wa ped e sion o g. I is wo h men ioning ha since domg(s·)= 1/s· dom(g)= g 0/s, g 1/s, he in eg al in e al in Eq.(1) is upda ed acco dingly, and he esul ing PC∗keeps ha ing compa able alues. In he ollowing, we will explain how o quan i y a global simila i y o a se o N unc ions  1(·), 2(·),· · · , N(·). We p opose o compu e, he bes ime wa ping ac o s o he N unc ions simul aneously, in o de o op imally align he se . The e o e, we sea ch o {s1,s2,...,sN}= a gmax s1,...,sN∈R+ min i= 1...N j=i+1...N PC i(si·), j(sj·) Once hese op imal ime wa ping ac o s ha e been compu ed, he global simila i y o he unc ions  1(·), 2(·),· · · , N(·) is gi en by PC∗ 1, 2,... N= max i= 1...N j=i+1...N PC i(si·), j(sj·) wi h his, he wo s aligned pai de ines he simila i y o he whole se . RESULTS E ec o Ven icula Geome y on QRS Du a ion and Ampli ude Figu e 3 illus a es he e ec o di e en en icula geome ies wi hin he same o so wi h co esponding hea posi ion (he eina e e e ed o as o so-pose) on QRS du a ion and ampli ude. Figu e 3A shows he QRS complexes ob ained in leads I, II and V1–V6 o each o he i e en icles (H1–H5) placed in he o so-pose o Subjec 3 (T3). Figu e 3B shows QRS complex du a ion as well as S and R wa e ampli ude o all 25 o so-pose and en icula combina ions. Fo all o so-poses, QRS complexes dec ease in ampli ude and inc ease in du a ion F on ie s in Physiology | www. on ie sin.o g 6Augus 2019 | Volume 10 | A icle 1103 phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 7 Mincholé e al. Impac o Ana omy on ECG QRS Complex wi h an inc ease in myoca dial olume (g een e sus black aces co esponding o he la ges e sus he smalles en icula olumes, espec i ely). An a e age inc ease o 0.12 ±0.05 ms in QRS du a ion o each cm3o myoca dial olume ac oss all he leads was ound. Rela ionships be ween QRS du a ions and en icula myoca dial olumes o each o he leads is shown in Supplemen a y Ma e ial S4.Supplemen a y Figu e S4 shows he 12 lead QRS complexes o di e en en icula geome ies wi hin he same o so-pose o each o he i e subjec s. E ec o To so-Hea Posi ion on QRS Du a ion and Ampli ude Figu e 4 shows he e ec o di e en o so-poses on QRS du a ion and ampli ude. Figu e 4A shows as an example, he QRS complexes ob ained o he en icula geome y H3 when placed in all he o so-poses, and Figu e 4B p o ides quan i ica ion o QRS du a ion and R and S wa e ampli udes o he i e en icula geome ies. QRS du a ion does no change subs an ially o di e en o so-poses, and his sugges s ha QRS du a ion is mainly de e mined by he en icula geome y. Indeed, a sligh inc ease in QRS du a ion o 0.01 ±0.03 ms o dm3o o so olume ac oss all leads is obse ed ( u he in o ma ion ega ding he ela ionship be ween QRS du a ion and o so olume can be ound in Supplemen a y Ma e ial S4). Howe e , bo h S and R wa e ampli udes a e mainly de e mined by o so olumes, wi h la ge QRS ampli udes co esponding o smalle o so olumes. Excep ionally, QRS complexes in T4 wi h a o so olume o 27 dm3exhibi la ge ampli udes in V1 o V3 compa ed o T5 (23 dm3) ha exhibi la ge ampli udes in V4 o V6. Fo hese wo o sos wi h simila olumes, hea posi ion plays an impo an ole in QRS ampli ude. By compa ing he en icula posi ions o T4 and T5 (see Figu e 2), we obse e ha o T5, V5 and V6 elec ode posi ions a e close o he en icles esul ing in la ge QRS ampli udes, whils V2 and V3 elec odes a e u he away, esul ing in smalle ampli udes. E ec o Ven icula Geome y and To so-Pose on QRS Mo phology Figu e 5A displays he simila i y measu emen compu ed om he modi ied Pea son co ela ion PC∗, which measu es di e ences in QRS mo phology due o di e ences in en icula geome y and o so-pose. Resul s show ha o limb leads (I, II, aVR, aVL and aVF), and V5, QRS mo phology is mo e simila (and PC∗highe ) o ixed en icula geome y (wi h a ying o so-pose) han o ixed o so-pose (wi h a ying en icula geome y). The e o e, in hese leads, he en icula geome y mainly de e mines he QRS mo phology. On he con a y, o leads V1 o V4 and V6, QRS mo phology is mo e simila (as shown by he highe PC∗ alues) o ixed o so-poses han o ixed en icula geome y. Thus, in hese leads, QRS mo phology is mos ly de e mined by o so-pose a he han by en icula geome y. These esul s a e u he illus a ed in Figu es 5B,C o wo ep esen a i e leads, aVL and V1. Simula ed QRS mo phology is mos ly de e mined by he en icula geome y and o so- pose in leads aVL and V1, espec i ely. Simula ed QRS complexes ob ained wi h he same en icula geome y a e shown in he same ow while hose ob ained wi h he same o so-pose a e shown in he same column. The wa ped QRS complexes om which PC∗is compu ed a e shown in Supplemen a y Ma e ial S5. E ec o Hea O ien a ion and Posi ion on he QRS Mo phology Figu es 6,7illus a e he esul s ob ained om he 265 simula ions conduc ed o e alua e he e ec o o a ion a ound he long axis and le - o- igh en icle di ec ions and ansla ion along he la e al and c anio-caudal di ec ions o he en icles wi hin he o so in he QRS complex. Figu e 6 displays simula ed QRS complexes ob ained o a ep esen a i e ana omical model (H3 wi hin T3), whe eas Figu e 7 shows quan i ica ion o he QRS mo phology simila i y me ic (PC∗) o all subjec speci ic o so- en icula geome ies. As shown in Figu es 6A,7A, o a ion along he long axis mainly a ec s he R and S ampli udes o leads V1 o V3. The ampli ude o he R wa e is la ge when he LV aces he ches plane (o ange aces) and dec eases as he RV ge s posi ioned be ween he LV and he ches (blue ace). The ampli ude o he S wa e also dec eases in he p eco dial leads in en icula posi ions whe e he RV aces he ches . Quan i a i e esul s ega ding changes in QRS ampli udes wi h hea o ien a ion and posi ion can be ound in Supplemen a y Ma e ial S6. Figu es 6B,7B show ha o a ion a ound he le - o- igh en icle axis se e ely a ec s he QRS mo phology in leads II, and V1 o V5. Mo e ho izon al hea s (o ange aces) esul in la ge R wa e ampli udes in leads I, V1, and V6 while mo e e ical ones (blue aces) esul in la ge R and S wa e ampli udes in leads V2 o V5. Figu es 6C,7C show ha hea s loca ed in mo e medial posi ions esul in alle R and S wa es in sep al V1 o V3 leads while sho e R wa es a e obse ed in he p eco dial la e al leads V5 and V6. This is due o he close en icula loca ion o V1 o V3 elec ode posi ions and u he om V5 and V6. On he o he hand, hea s loca ed in mo e la e al posi ions ( owa d he le -a m) displayed nega i ely de lec ed S o e en QS complexes in he sep al V1 o V2 leads and la ge R wa e ampli udes in V5 o V6 (blue solid lines). Figu es 6D,7D show he e ec o shi ing he en icles up along he c anio-caudal (supe io -in e io ) di ec ion leads o la ge R wa e ampli udes in lead I, and longe R and S wa es in V1 o V5 (blue lines). Howe e , shi ing he hea down leads o sho e R wa es in leads I, V1 and V6 (o ange line). The changes would be equi alen o changing he elec ode posi ion wi h espec o he en icles. Compa ison o Clinical Da a Simula ed ECGs ob ained om ou popula ion o models exhibi QRS axis (compu ed om QRS complexes in leads I and III) anging om 50◦ o 75◦[no mal ange –30◦ o 90◦as shown in Engblom e al. (2005)], QRS du a ions pe lead om 45 o 80 ms [no mal ange including all leads 78 ±8 ms as shown in an Oos e om e al. (2000)], and ampli udes om 0.5 o 3.5 mV [heal hy: 2 ±0.6 mV as shown in an Oos e om e al. (2000)]. F on ie s in Physiology | www. on ie sin.o g 7Augus 2019 | Volume 10 | A icle 1103 phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 8 Mincholé e al. Impac o Ana omy on ECG QRS Complex FIGURE 4 | E ec o o so-pose on QRS du a ion, and S and R wa e ampli ude. (A) Simula ed QRS complexes ob ained using he en icula model om Subjec 3 (H3) placed in he i e di e en o sos-poses. (B) QRS du a ion (le ), and S and R ampli udes (middle and igh , espec i ely) om simula ions using each o he i e hea s (H1 o H5) placed in he di e en o so-poses (T1 o T5). Thus, all hese quan i a i e measu emen s a e in ag eemen wi h clinical ECGs om heal hy subjec s ( an Oos e om e al., 2000;Engblom e al., 2005;S ewa e al., 2011), suppo ing he c edibili y o he simula ions. Figu e 8 shows a compa ison o he a iabili y exhibi ed in simula ed and clinical 12 lead ECG QRS complexes. Simula ed QRS complexes show a iabili y in e ms o mo phology, especially in he p eco dial leads. The no mal up igh (posi i e) QRS complexes in bo h, lead I and lead aVF, esul in a no mal QRS axis. Fu he mo e, simula ed QRS complexes show posi i e de lec ion wi h la ge, up igh R wa e in leads I, II, V4–V6 and a p edominan nega i e de lec ion wi h a la ge, deep S wa e in aVR, V1 and V2 (see Figu e 8A). This is in ag eemen wi h he h ee clinical eco dings shown in Figu e 8B. Lead III in simula ed ECGs shows biphasic QRS complexes wi h a nega i e de lec ion ollowed by a posi i e one as in he clinical eco ding o Subjec 1 (Figu e 8B). On he con a y, simula ed lead aVL shows biphasic QRS complex wi h i s a posi i e de lec ion ollowed by a nega i e one, as in clinical eco dings o Subjec s 1 and 3 (Figu e 8B). P eco dial QRS complexes show R wa e p og ession om V1 o V6, wi h an inc easing R wa e and a dec easing S wa e when mo ing om V1 o V6. This p og ession is obse ed in bo h simula ed (Figu e 8A) and clinical ECGs (Figu e 8B). QRS complexes in lead V1 show mo phological a iabili y om biphasic QRS complexes (posi i e-nega i e de lec ions) o down igh QRS complexes (Figu e 8A). This is in ag eemen wi h he a iabili y in clinical eco dings (Figu e 8B). DISCUSSION The p esen s udy demons a es he compu a ional e alua ion o he e ec o hea - o so posi ion and ana omy on he QRS complex using human o so/bi en icula elec ophysiology models de i ed om clinically s anda d MRI. The i s con ibu ion o he s udy is he compu a ional pipeline o build he o so/bi en icula ana omies ini ia ing om s anda d clinical ca diac MRI augmen ed wi h a s a is ical shape model o he body (Zacu e al., 2017). This me hodology enables exploi ing clinical da abases o e alua e he unc ional impac o MRI-ex ac ed ana omical and s uc u al ea u es (Lyon e al., 2018b). Fu he mo e, human MRI-in o med modeling and simula ion based on his echnology could accele a e he de elopmen o ailo ed pha macological and elec ical he apy F on ie s in Physiology | www. on ie sin.o g 8Augus 2019 | Volume 10 | A icle 1103 phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 9 Mincholé e al. Impac o Ana omy on ECG QRS Complex FIGURE 5 | (A) Simila i y measu emen (PC∗) o he simula ed QRS mo phologies o ixed en icula geome y (and a ying o so-pose) (blue), and o ixed o so-pose (and a ying en icula geome y (g ay). Panels (B,C) Simula ed QRS mo phologies ob ained wi h he i e en icula geome ies (H1 o H5) placed in he i e o so-poses (T1 o T5) o leads aVL (B) and V1 (C). and he goal o p ecision ca e. Fi s ly, being able o econs uc he pa ien ’s speci ic o so and en icula model om s anda d ca diac MRI is a s ep o wa d o pe sonalized compu e modeling and simula ion. The human models cons uc ed ha e he biophysical de ail equi ed o enable u u e simula ion s udies in o he esponse o disease and pha macological ea men . Addi ionally, he simula ion esul s demons a e he in luence o ana omical ea u es on he QRS complex in heal hy con ol condi ions. This quan i ica ion o no mal QRS complex a iabili y is impo an o in o m he e alua ion o esponse o disease and ea men . Analysis o he simula ed QRSs yields he ollowing indings: (i) QRS mo phologies in limb leads I and II a e mainly de e mined by he geome y o he en icles whe eas QRS mo phologies in he p eco dial leads, and especially V1 o V4, a e de e mined by he o so-pose. (ii) QRS du a ion is mainly in luenced by myoca dial olume while i is ha dly a ec ed by he o so geome y o hea posi ion; (iii) QRS ampli ude inc eases wi h la ge en icula olumes and dec eases wi h la ge o so olumes. Quan i ica ion o he con ibu ion o he indi idual hea s uc u e, o ien a ion and body habi us on he ECG is c i ical o aid he clinical in e p e a ion o po en ial ECG abno mali ies d i en by disease o pha macological ea men . In syne gy wi h clinical da abases, hey could also d i e he pe sonaliza ion o sco e me ics o isk s a i ica ion by disc imina ing in clinical eco dings be ween he con ibu ion o each pa ien ’s speci ic ana omy and hose a ising om hei disease s a e. Popula ions o Hea -To so Elec ophysiological Models F om S anda d Clinical MRI In his pape , we p esen mul iscale elec ophysiological simula ions using hea - o so ana omical models om s anda d ca diac MRI acquisi ions (Figu e 1). The gene a ion o he subjec -speci ic geome ies is pe o med om s anda d ca diac MRI acquisi ions allowing o be used di ec ly on a ailable clinical da ase s. The sca ce in o ma ion o o so ana omy om s anda d ca diac MRI acquisi ions makes he use o adi ional F on ie s in Physiology | www. on ie sin.o g 9Augus 2019 | Volume 10 | A icle 1103 phys-10-01103 Augus 24, 2019 Time: 16:24 # 16 Mincholé e al. Impac o Ana omy on ECG QRS Complex Villa d, B., Zacu , E., Dall’A mellina, E., and G au, V. (2017). “Co ec ion o slice misalignmen in mul i-b ea h-hold ca diac MRI scans,” in P oceedings o he STACOM 2016: S a is ical A lases and Compu a ional Models o he Hea . Imaging and Modelling Challenges (Lec u e No es in Compu e Science). 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