AIM: To investigate the effects of chronic treatment with imidapril on the electrophysiologic heterogeneous change of the noninfarcted myocardium of rabbits after myocardial infarction and the mechanism of its antiarrhythmic efficacy. METHODS: Rabbits with left coronary artery ligation were prepared and allowed to recover for 8 weeks.Myocytes were isolated from subendocardial, midmyocardial, and subepicardial regions of the noninfarcted left ventricular wall. Action potentials and calcium current were recorded using whole-cell patch clamp technique.RESULTS: The action potential duration of repolarization 90 % (APD90)was more prolonged in midmyocardium rather than in subepicardium and subendocardium with healed myocardial infarction. The transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR) was increased in the three ventricular regions. The amplitude of ICa-L was enhanced but its density was decreased in noninfarcted ventricular myocytes due to increased cell membrane capacitance. The increased differences of calcium currents among subepicardium, midmyocardium, and subendocardium were also discovered. Normalization of heterogeneous changes in repolarization after treatment with imidapril was observed and decrease of TDR in noninfarcted area was measvred. Early after depolarization (EAD) events of noninfarcted midmyocardium were markedly decreased by imidapril. CONCLUSION: Imidapril reduced the electrophysiologic heterogeneities in noninfarcted area in rabbits after myocardial infarction. This ability of imidapril may contribute to its antiarrhythmic efficacy.