The forward problem of electrocardiography: from heart models to body surface potentials

The forward problem of electrocardiography refers to the calculation of the body surface potentials starting from either equivalent current dipoles that represent the heart's electrical activity or from potentials on the epicardium. This paper reviews the numerical methods used to solve the forward problem of electrocardiography. A major application of the forward problem is in simulating cardiac pathologies with computer heart models, and the authors' experience with such simulations is described.