[Vascular-nervous relationships in the valves of the heart]

Method of silver nitrate impregnation was used in order to study 50 preparations of not-changed atrioventricular valves of the heart of domestic bulls and 30 preparations of the same valves of adult humans. It has been shown that in heart valves there are certain relationships between striated muscle fibres, blood vessels and nerve elements. The nerve structures of the valves are represented by nerve bundles of different thickness. In their composition there are comparatively thin non-myelinated and thicker myelinated fibres. Towards the free edge of cusps the nerve bundles become thinner and the nerve trunks give off separate thin nerve fibres disposed along the vessels of a capillary type and in some places getting around them. In certain portions of cusps the nerve bundles, some of which have zigzag sinuosity, cross blood vessels in different directions. In man the major mass of blood vessels and nerve elements are disposed near the base of the valve cusps, accompanying the muscle fibre bundles penetrating from the base side. In the bull heart valves an amount of blood vessels and nerve elements is found in considerable portions of the cusps not connected with muscle fibres.