Self-organizing maps in arrhythmia localization from body surface potential mapping

The authors have developed a novel method for ventricular tachycardia (VT) source localization using body surface potential mapping (BSPM). Kohonen self-organizing maps (SOM) are utilized for the classification of different types of VTs. The method is a two-step process. First, a large number of potential patterns from VT QRS complexes are presented to the SOM. Second, QRS time traces on this SOM are created to find the representative patterns for different types of VT. The localization can be performed using these time traces as a reference. The presented method utilizes both spatial and temporal aspects of the recorded VT to create a representative pattern of the tachycardia. The data was obtained from 27 patients with ventricular tachycardia; 21 were used for the teaching set and 6 for the test set. Results comparable to the well-documented integral map method were obtained in this study