Related Experiment Videos
Comparison between right and left ventricular myocardia during the human fetal period. Stereological evaluation
1Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho-UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. rxavier-vidal@interclub.com.br
Purpose:
To develop a stereological comparison between right (RV) and left ventricle (LV) myocardium during the third human gestational trimester.
Methods:
Five human fetal hearts of the third trimester provided representative samples of 5 RV myocardium and 4 LV myocardium. The material was fixed in 10% buffered formaldehyde, and processed through routine methods. Fifteen microscopic fields were randomly chosen and counted in each ventricular myocardium using an "M-42" test system. The following stereological parameters were assessed: Vv (%), Lv (micron 2), Sv (micron 2/micron 3), Vp (micron 3), Nv (1/mm3) and total N.
Results:
No significant difference between the stereological parameters of the myocardial structures assessed was evidenced, when comparing RV and LV.
Conclusion:
Right and left human ventricular myocardium are very similar during the fetal period at least in regard to their structural aspects.