Why “Dielectric”?
Dielectric concept is based on gradients in the electrical field
promoted by the different cardiac structures, such as the endocardial
surface, cardiac veins and heart valves. The KODEX-EPD imaging system
(3) properly creates high-resolution images of cardiac anatomy by
exploiting the distinct dielectric properties of biological tissue. The
system receives and analyzes the electrical field transmission and
reflection from all catheter used in the procedure. (4). This
“gradients of the electrical field” is sensed by the system and used
to calculate the geometric characteristics of the three-dimensional
(3D) image. With this technique, it is possible to collect anatomic
information without immediate physical surface contact a few
millimeters ahead of the catheter electrodes, resulting in a certain
degree of “far-field imaging”. Moreover, tissue thickness was measured
by means of the Wall Viewer (WV) function, assessing a series of
dielectric signals derived directly from real-time local interrogation
of the catheter-tissue interface. The electric-field characteristics
(e.g., the field shape) and dielectric tissue signature are acquired
when the ablation catheter is stable and engaged with the endocardial
wall momentarily (<1.5 sec). The Wall Viewer is displayed in
millimeters and as a color code scale. The characteristic electrical
field distribution can differentiate correctly between 7, 4 and 1.35 mm
currently corresponds with the regional average wall thickness, although
it can be calibrated to match the ECG gated diastolic phase as utilized
in computed tomography-based atrial wall thickness measurement (5,6)