Figure 3
The human atrioventricular conduction axis resolved by micro-CT. This figure demonstrates high resolution (73 × 73 × 73 µm3) micro-CT data from a whole human heart. It shows the 3D extent and location of the segmented atrioventricular conduction axis across the upper surface of the interventricular septum (e). The viewpoint in e is from the atria, looking down into the ventricular chambers. Illustrative long-axis sections from the micro-CT dataset and from corresponding histological sections show the compact node in the right atrium proximally and inferiorly (a,c), becoming the penetrating bundle (b,d), and extending anteriorly and slightly rostrally to become the branching bundle (e). The plane of section in c and d is shown on the 3D volume rendering (e). The sections are available to view without the outlines in the supplementary Fig. S3. Atrioventricular conduction axis colour coding in panel e; turquoise- inferior nodal extension, red- compact node, blue- penetrating bundle, green- branching bundle, purple- dead-end tract. CFB- central fibrous body, CN- compact node, IAS- interatrial septum, IVS- interventricular septum, LV- left ventricle, PB- penetrating bundle, RV- right ventricle, RVOT- right ventricular outflow tract.
