© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
The Development of the Atrioventricular Junction in the Human Heart
From the Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center (Netherlands) and the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Morphology, National Heart and Lung Institute, London, England (R.H.A.).
Abstract The histogenesis of the separation between atrial
and ventricular myocardium at the
atrioventricular junction in the developing human heart
has been investigated immunohistochemically by using monoclonal
antibodies specific for atrioventricular cushion
tissue, mesenchymal cells, atrial and ventricular
myocardium, and myocardium of the primary ring.
It was found that the insulation between the muscle masses of atrium
and ventricle is established by the fusion of the tissues of the
atrioventricular sulcus (located at the epicardial side
of the junctional myocardium) with those of the
atrioventricular cushions (located at the endocardial
side of the junctional myocardium). This process takes
place at the ventricular margin of the
myocardium of the atrioventricular canal.
The separation of atrial and ventricular
myocardium starts at 
7 weeks of development in the
anteromedial portion of the right atrioventricular
junction and is largely completed around the 12th week of development.
The only remaining myocardial continuity between atrial and
ventricular myocardium is the
atrioventricular axis of conduction. Our findings show
that the nonmuscular part of the developing leaflets of the
atrioventricular valves derives from the
atrioventricular cushions and that the tissues of the
atrioventricular groove do not contribute to the
development of these leaflets.
Key Words: accessory connections • atrioventricular junction • cushion • heart • sulcus
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