Baku, January 23 (AZERTAC). A virtual heart - which exists only inside a computer - is helping doctors solve real-life conditions.

Medics and computers at Manchester University teamed up to create an anatomically correct model of a sheep’s heart.

Using scans of real-life hearts, the team say their 3D reconstruction is so accurate that it shows complex tissue structure.

Scientists have also used computers to carefully copy the electrical activity around the heart - allowing health experts to investigate disorders such as atrial fibrillation (AF).

The condition - which causes irregularities in the hearty’s own ‘internal circuitry’ - causes irregular heartbeat and can lead to strokes.

Researchers at the university’s school of physics and astronomy believe their computer programme is sophisticated enough to give them an unprecedented insight into the disorder, which affects more half a million people in the UK.

Professor Henggui Zhang, who is leading the research, said: “Atrial fibrillation affects approximately 1.5pc of the world’s population.

“It is also known to increase the risk and severity of stroke. Despite its prevalence very little is known about what causes it.

“We hoped our model would allow us to understand the mechanisms of this condition to ultimately help create better treatments.”

The condition is caused by abnormal electrical impulses in the upper chambers of the heart.

Using the computer programme, the professor and his team simulated erratic electric waves and then studied the effect on the rest of the heart.

They now believe that differences in electrical activity across different regions of the heart  - known as electrical heterogeneity - are key to triggering the condition.

Professor Zhang added: “This study has for the first time identified the individual role of electrical heterogeneity and fibre structure in the initiation and development of AF.

“It has not previously been possible to study the contribution of the two separately but using our computational model we’ve been able to clearly see that both electrical heterogeneity and fibre structure need to be taken into consideration when treatment strategies for AF are being devised.”

They hope to use the ‘virtual heart’ to gain a better understanding of the condition and develop more effective treatments.

Their research is being funded by a government-backed science grant and the British Heart Foundation.