Anatomical consideration of the number and form of the papillary muscle in the left ventricle

Our results were obtained by dissection of 56 cords, wich presented at the papillary muscle of the left ventricle, 106 muscular bodies and from those, 58 muscular bodies were for the anterior papillary muscle and 48 for the posterior papillary muscle. Anterior papillary muscle was studied on 32 cords, and the posterior papllary muscle on 24 cases. Of the 106 papillary muscles we analized, unique papillary muscle was incountered in 16 cases, 10 being at the anterior papillary muscle and 6 cases at the posterior papillary muscle..

The papillary muscle formed of two muscular bodies (double) presented a number of 64 muscular bodies, 36 being at the anterior papillary and 28 at the posterior papillary. In cases of triple papillary muscle, from 18 muscular bodies, 12 were from the anterior papillary and 6 were from posterior papillary. In the two cases of quadruple papillary muscle the 8 muscular bodies belonged to the posterior papillary muscle.

Amoung the total muscular bodies, most frequently they had a conical hape, aspect found in 67 cases, 33 cases being seen in the anterior papillary muscle and 34 in the posterior papillary. In 20 cases the muscular bodies were cylindrical, 18 cases were found in the anterior papillary and 2 in the posterior papillary muscle. In 10 cases the muscular bodies were arcuated, 4 cases being to anterior papillary and 6 cases to the posterior papillary muscle. In 8 cases the bodies were fusiform, 4 cases being to the anterior papillary and 4 to the posterior papillary muscle. In one case to an unique posterior papillary muscle we found a particullar form of the muscular body, wich we called „the torch“ or the „beacon“ that have the muscular body thinner at the lower half and the size increasing in width, reaching a maximum width at its upper extremity, from where are detaching four extra muscles that gave birth to beams of valvular chordage. In case of papillary muscles with two muscular bodies, they can sometimes be linked by a muscular bridge, transverse or oblique, making characteristical features. Thus, in 6 cases, the muscular bridges realized the H“ letter appearance, 4 cases being at the anterior papillary muscle and 2 at the posterior papillary. In 4 cases only at the anterior papillary the bridges formed „N“ letter aspect, 2 cases were at the anterior papilllary and 2 in the posterior papillary muscle. Also in 4 cases, the presence of the bridges acheve the appearance of reversed „N“ letter, 2 cases were in the anterior papillary and 2 in the postertior papillary.