Abstract :
Background: In both ventricles of the heart papillary muscles play important role for proper cardiac valvular function of heart. The present study was done to analyse the papillary muscles of heart with respect to the variations in their number, length, shape, position and pattern in both ventricles.
Materials and Methods: Forty well preserved cadaveric human hearts were used for the study. The variations in the papillary muscles of both right and left ventricles were categorized, documented and photographed.
Results: In the right ventricle, authors observed 31.42% anterior, 34.3% posterior and 34.3% septal papillary muscles, and in the left ventricle, 41.7% anterior and 58.3% posterior papillary muscles. Classical papillary muscles were observed in 64.3% heart specimens in right ventricle and 55% in left ventricle.
Authors found conical, pyramidal and broad apexed papillary muscles in 44.3%, 51.4% and 4.3% heart specimens respectively in right ventricle, whereas in left ventricle the corresponding values were 33.3%, 30% and 36.7%. Separate bases and fused apex pattern was observed in 24.3%, single base and divided apex in 55.7% heart specimens in right ventricle and in left ventricle in 45% and 43.3% heart specimens respectively. The length of anterior, posterior and septal papillary muscle in right ventricle was 1.27±0.45, 1.36±0.52, 0.92±0.54 cm respectively whereas in left ventricle, the mean length of anterior and posterior papillary muscles was 2.13±0.44 and 1.76±0.46 cm. In right ventricle mean thickness was 1.17±0.31cm whereas in left ventricle it was 2.16±0.32 cm.
Conclusion: The papillary muscles has complex and variable anatomy. Knowledge of this variation to the cardiac surgeons during reparative surgical procedures conducted for mitral/ tricuspid valve replacement is of utmost importance to prevent untoward event.
Keyword :
Papillary muscles, Right and left ventricles, Morphological variations, Classical conical, Pyramidal.