DCL map and dominant focal activations
Based on the anatomical geometry, we created a 3-dimensional,
color-coded DCL map to visualize the spatial distribution of the DCL
during AF, which displayed the shortest DCL in red and the longest DCL
in purple (Fig. 1B, Fig. 3). The DCL map was created using the local
activation time (LAT) map algorithm to convert the value of DCL into LAT
measurement at the recording site. Based on our hypothesis that areas
with shorter DCL may be critical to the AF process,
we identified areas in the lower
half of the DCL range and defined focal activations located in the area
as dominant focal activations (DFAs).