Perinexus in Health and in Disease (IMAGE) Virginia Tech Caption The transmission electron microscopic image on the left is a collapsed perinexus in the heart of a person without atrial fibrillation. The image on the right is an expanded perinexus in the heart of a person with atrial fibrillation. The more the perinexus separates heart cells, the more difficult it can be for the cells to communicate. The perinexus is tenths of a millimeter wide. Credit Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute Usage Restrictions Credit the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.