Effect of the torso conductivity heterogeneities on the ECGI inverse problem solution

The effect of torso conductivity heterogeneities on the electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) inverse problem solution is still subject of debate. In this study we present a method to assess the effect of these heterogeneities. We use an anatomical model containing the heart the lungs the bones and the torso surfaces. We use the bidomain model and we solve it using finite element methods in order to generate in silico data taking into account the torso heterogeneities. We add different noise levels on the body surface potentials and we solve the inverse problem for both homogenous and heterogeneous torso conductivities. We analyse the reconstructed solution using the relative error and the correlation coefficient.