Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Professor Bob Anderson
Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Inferences made regarding the postnatal anatomy of the atrial septum still tend to be based on developmental evidence. Although atrial septation is a well-defined process, it is remarkably complex and remains poorly understood. It is now established, however, that the process involves the conjugation of several myocardial structures and mesenchymal tissues of both intracardiac and extracardiac origin. The resultant postnatal morphology is equally complex, evidenced by the fact that, in the normal heart, only the floor of the oval fossa, along with its anteroinferior muscular buttress, are true anatomical septums. In this regard, septums can be defined as partitions that can be removed without creating communications with the extracavitary space. The true septal components are surrounded by grooves, which themselves largely represent infolding of the atrial walls. These anatomical features can now accurately be revealed using virtual dissection of CT data sets. These images, when carefully reconstructed, demonstrated the anatomy with as much accuracy as when hearts are dissected in the autopsy room. Such virtual dissection, furthermore, shows the components as they are seen within the chest, thus facilitating understanding for those intending to undertake interventional therapeutic procedures. By preparing such images, we show the complexity of the normal atrial septum and its surrounds. We show that it is only defects within the oval fossa, or the much rarer vestibular defects, which can appropriately be illustrated in the context of a normally constructed heart.
Author(s): Mori S, Nishii T, Tretter JT, Spicer DE, Hirata K-I, Anderson RH
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Heart
Year: 2018
Volume: 104
Issue: 24
Pages: 2003-2009
Print publication date: 01/12/2018
Online publication date: 04/09/2018
Acceptance date: 07/08/2018
ISSN (print): 1355-6037
ISSN (electronic): 1468-201X
Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
URL: https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2018-313758
DOI: 10.1136/heartjnl-2018-313758
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
