The peri-infarct tissue is characterized by slow conduction contributing to scar-related VT. True or False?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not known
• D. Not relevant

Answer: (A)

The peri-infarct zone around a scar is a mixed tissue region where surviving myocytes are interspersed with fibrous tissue, creating a landscape of slowed electrical propagation. Fibrosis, disrupted cell-to-cell coupling, and irregular fiber orientation in this border zone impede fast conduction. That slower conduction forms the critical pathway around the scar, acting as an isthmus for reentry. In scar-related ventricular tachycardia, this delayed conduction in the peri-infarct tissue provides the timing necessary for a premature impulse to travel around the scar, reenter, and sustain the tachycardia. Mapping often reveals late or fractionated potentials in this region, illustrating those slow conduction channels. So the statement is true.