Morphological characteristics of the myocardial bridges in the level  of the anterior interventricular branch of a human fetal heart

Ognjen  Čukuranović; Vladimir Mandarić; Vukica Pantović; Dragan Mihailović; Ivan Jovanović; Aleksandra Veljković Čukuranović; Jovana Čukuranović Kokoris; Ljiljana Vasović

doi:10.2298/VSP161121102C

Ognjen Čukuranović University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Niš, Serbia
Vladimir Mandarić Military Medical Academy, Clinic for Cardiosurgery, Belgrade, Serbia
Vukica Pantović Public Health Institute, Niš, Serbia
Dragan Mihailović University of Niš, Department of Pathology, Niš, Serbia
Ivan Jovanović University of Niš, Department of Anatomy, Niš, Serbia
Aleksandra Veljković Čukuranović University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Niš, Serbia
Jovana Čukuranović Kokoris University of Niš, Department of Anatomy, Niš, Serbia
Ljiljana Vasović University of Niš, Department of Anatomy, Niš, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/VSP161121102C

Keywords: fetus;, heart;, coronary vessels;, abnormalities;, myocardial bridging.

Abstract

Background/Aim. Myocardial bridges (MB) are narrower or wider fascicles of the atrial or ventricular muscle fibres which form a “bridge” either across the main trunks of coronary arteries or their major subepicardial branches. The aim of this research was to determine and present the exact frequency, morphological, morphometric and histological characteristics of the MB in the level of anterior interventricular branch (AIB) in human fetal hearts. Methods. The study was performed on 63 human fetal hearts. Images of the analyzed hearts were captured with a digital camera and afterwards morphometrically evaluated with ImageJ. Characteristic cases of the MB were dissected, sampled and further routinely processed for the subsequent histological analysis. Finally, the obtained morphometric data were statistically analyzed. Results. The presence of the MB on the AIB was proven histologically and under the magnifying glass. Myocardial bridges were found in 53.97% of the hearts. The percentage of the hearts with only one MB detected on AIB 88.24% was significantly higher than the percentage of the hearts with two MBs on the AIB (11.76%) (p < 0.001). Conclusion. We suggest that the MBs are just one anatomical variation of the fetal period as well as of adulthood.

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