False chordae tendineae in right ventricle of adult human hearts – morphological aspects

Abstract

IntroductionFalse chordae tendineae are fibrous-muscular bundles which do not interconnect with right atrioventricular valves. The structures have occasionally been described in the right ventricle. There are reports suggesting their influence on electromechanical processes taking place in the heart, in thromboembolic events as well as in the course of cardiac invasive procedures. The objective of the study was to perform a macroscopic evaluation of false chordae tendineae in the right ventricle.Material and methodsThe research specimens consisted of 100 hearts of adult humans, aged from 18 to 59 years, fixed in a solution of 10% formaldehyde and 98% ethanol. The ratio of false chordae tendineae to individual elements of the right ventricle, such as its walls, papillary muscles, septomarginal trabecula and the apex of the ventricle, was examined.ResultsDuring examination, six types of chordae tendineae were described based on the criterion of the type of structures they connected. The most common were false chordae connecting ventricle walls within its apex, while the least common were individual segments of papillary muscles. The research proved that the examined structures are morphologically extremely diverse. Substantial clinical implications of their presence seem very probable.ConclusionsThe present work is the first of a scheduled series devoted to the problem of false chordae tendineae. Further analyses will cover the subject of morphological aspects in a microscopic perspective.

Morphology and Classification of Right Ventricular Bands in the Domestic Dog (Canis familiaris )

“…A review of this literature shows numerous morphological patterns for these strands in humans and some animal hearts (i.e. canine, feline, porcine, caprine, ovine and bovine) (Gerlis et al., ; Luetmer et al., ; Abdulla et al., ; Kervancioglu et al., ; Deniz et al., ; Loukas et al., , ; Gulyaeva and Roshchevskaya, ; Kosiniski et al., ; Kimura et al., ; Mundra and Lala, ).…”

“…A possible reason for this, according to Kosiniski et al. (), is the left ventricle ‘false tendons’ have been studied more extensively because they are larger and more visible. Furthermore, left ventricle ‘false tendons’ are often reported in conjunction with cardiac arrhythmias, murmurs, cardiomyopathy or other left heart pathologies that are discovered at the time of autopsy (Luetmer et al., ; Darazs et al., ; Abdulla et al., ; Deniz et al., ; Loukas et al., ; Kerber, ).…”

“…While it is clear ‘false tendons’ are not always associated with cardiac pathologies, the limited literature on the morphology and incidence of these strands has created a gap in veterinary anatomy (Gerlis et al., ; Luetmer et al., ; Kervancioglu et al., ; Deniz et al., ; Loukas et al., , ; Kosiniski et al., ; Mundra and Lala, ). Current veterinary anatomy texts do not document the presence of these strands within the ventricles of domestic dogs, and the previous studies with an animal component often used multiple species with only a handful of specimens for each animal group (Dyce et al., ; Evans, ).…”

Left ventricular false tendons: echocardiographic characteristics in the Polish population

“…In most cases FT is a single structure. Sporadically 2 or, rarely, 3 FTs can be found, sometimes configured in the shape of the letter Y. FTs of the right ventricle were also described in the literature [14].…”

“…The presence of FTs is sometimes linked to increased incidence of ventricular arrhythmia, especially in cases of LV enlargement, or during pregnancy [14]. FTs can also increase the probability of ventricular premature contractions during LV catheterisation.…”