Technique for ventricular wrapping in experimental dynamic cardiomyoplasty.

Cardiomyoplasty is a wrapping of an electrostimulated latissimus dorsi muscle flap around the heart for substitution and/or reinforcement. The surgical technique for reproducible cardiomyoplasties in the goat model is presented. The methods combine the direction of wrapping (clockwise, counter-clockwise) and the orientation of muscle fibers. A cardiomyoplasty model using right and left latissimus dorsi or left latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major as well as a split muscle technique are illustrated.