Atrial Plasticity

Abstract

The clinical observation that paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) becomes increasingly frequent and eventually persistent has resulted in animal and human studies to determine the possible substrate that creates and then maintains AF. A number of studies have demonstrated that the atrial substrate has the property of plasticity; that is, adaptation (remodeling) to a varying physiological milieu. In this chapter, we will review aspects of electrical, structural and mechanical remodeling. © 2005 by Blackwell Publishing.