Bachmann Bundle and Its Arterial Supply: Imaging with Multidetector CT—Implications for Interatrial Conduction Abnormalities and Arrhythmias

Autor: Jagat Narula, Farhood Saremi, Subramaniam C. Krishnan, Amir Abolhoda, Stephanie Channual, Swaminatha V. Gurudevan
Rok vydání: 2008
Předmět:
Zdroj: Radiology. 248:447-457
ISSN: 1527-1315
0033-8419
DOI: 10.1148/radiol.2482071908
Popis: To retrospectively investigate anatomy of Bachmann Bundle (BB) and its vascular supply at 64-section multidetector computed tomography (CT) in healthy patients and patients with abnormalities.The institutional review board approved this HIPAA-compliant study and waived informed consent. Clinical histories, electrocardiograms (ECGs), and coronary 64-section multidetector CT angiograms in 317 patients were reviewed (healthy group, 164; group with abnormalities, 153). Among patients with abnormalities, 68 had atrial fibrillation (AF) or interatrial conduction block (IAB) (P wave duration,or=120 msec), 46 had severe coronary artery disease (CAD) (or=70% stenosis of coronary artery giving rise to sinuatrial node [SAN] artery), and 39 had severe CAD and an abnormal ECG (AF or IAB). Length, anteroposterior and superoinferior diameters, attenuation, and vascular supply of BB were studied. Student t test for continuous variables and contingency tables for categorical variables were used.BB was visualized, to greater degree, in the healthy group (90.2% vs 73.9% for group with abnormalities, P.001). Visualization of BB was similar among subgroups with abnormalities: 71.7% in patients with severe CAD, 73.5% in patients with abnormal ECG, and 76.9% in patients with severe CAD and abnormal ECG. BB measurements were similar for both groups. Patients with nonvisualized BB displayed lower overall mean attenuation in the region, with -30.6 HU +/- 33.4 (standard deviation), but mean attenuation in healthy patients was 51.3 HU +/- 59.9 (P.001). This finding suggests fatty infiltration. BB and BB region were mainly supplied by the right SAN artery (55.5%), followed by the left SAN artery (39.6%) and both SAN arteries (4.9%). In the group with abnormalities, there was a significant difference for SAN artery nonvisualization between those with and without identifiable BB (P = .001).BB and its vascular supply can easily be demarcated on cardiac CT images. BB was visualized less in patients with severe CAD and abnormal ECG, a finding that suggests that disease of BB fibers may play a role in development of atrial arrhythmias.
Databáze: OpenAIRE