The Myocardial support

pp 217-223

Abstract

Objective: The cardiac muscle cannot be anatomically free in the thorax. Therefore, it was thought and analyzed that there could be a myocardial support point (lever fulcrum).

Material and Methods: Cardiac dissection in ten young (two years old) bovine hearts (800-1000 g); and in eight human hearts (one embryo, 4 g; one 10 years old, 250 g; and six adult, mean weight 300 g) were performed. The myocardial band was unrolled in its entirety. The extracted pieces were analyzed by anatomy and histology. A study with magnetic resonance images, tomography and simple radiology was also carried out.

Results: In anatomical investigations we have found in all the human and bovine hearts studied a nucleus underlying the right trigone of bone, chondroid or tendon histological structure. The microscopic analysis revealed in bovine hearts a trabecular osteochondral matrix (fulcrum). In the ten year old human heart and in the fetus, a central area of the fulcrum formed by chondroid tissue was found. Histology found a tendon matrix in adult human hearts. This fulcrum is attached to the myocardium and would serve to support both the origin and the end of the myocardium. The images showed evidence of the cardiac fulcrum.

Conclusions: The cardiac fulcrum found in the anatomical investigation of bovine and human hearts would clarify the point of support of the myocardial muscle to complete its rotating function.