Optimization of electrode positions for multichannel electrocardiography with respect to electrical imaging of the heart

A procedure to find the optimal electrode positions for multichannel electrocardiography is presented. The criterion is the ability to reconstruct images of the electrical activity of the heart. Singular value decomposition of the lead field matrix is the chosen approach. The finite element method is used for numerical field calculation to determine the lead field matrix. Estimates on the expected measurement error play an important role in the optimization procedure. The optimal arrangement of electrodes is compared with other electrode positions reported in the literature using different optimization criteria. Body surface potential maps (BSPM) are measured on a healthy volunteer using the optimized electrode arrangement and preliminary epicardial potential patterns are reconstructed