The structure and function of the helical heart and its buttress wrapping. V. Anatomic and physiologic considerations in the healthy and failing heart.

A macroscopic structure of an elliptic heart, formed by the helix provided by the apical loop, is defined and related, initially, to normal function. To define the sequence of normal progressive muscular activity, cardiac pressure, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and multiple gated acquisition (MUGA) records are reviewed. This novel format of structure for the helical heart is then compared with historic studies of ventricular structure. New concepts will show how the basal loops cause initial isovolumetric contraction, together with factors responsible for contractile ventricular lengthening responsible for filling by suction. The interaction of these muscular-functional changes are correlated to basic studies of electrophysiology (excitation-contraction) to set the stage for alterations produced by changing the helical apex to a sphere during congestive heart failure. Macroscopic changes in heart failure, which convert the ellipse to a globe, are defined as the underpinning of dilated cardiomyopathy. It is our hypothesis that the commonality of this spheric left ventricular substrate becomes responsible for ischemic, idiopathic, and dilated ventricular cardiomyopathy. Copyright 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company