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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1981; 29(6): 388-393
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1023518
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Relative AV Insufficiency - Morphometric and Morphologic Investigation of the AV-valve Apparatus*,**

G. Rahlf
  • Center of Pathology, University of Göttingen
*Dedicated to Prof. Dr. J. Koncz on the occasion of his 65th birthday**Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft SFB 89 Kardiologie Göttingen
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Publication History

1981

Publication Date:
28 May 2008 (online)

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Summary

Circumference and surface area of AV-valves were determined in 200 hearts formalin-fixed in their postmortem contracted State. It was found that, with increasing ventricular weight, the increase of the surface area of the valves exceeds that of the valve circumference. According to our findings, it is unlikely that relative valvular incompetence in ecoentric cardiac hypertrophy is solely due to a disproportion between the valve surface area and circumference. Degenerative vascular changes of papillary muscle arteries and fibrosis of the papillary muscles may play one etiological role in the relative insufficiency of these valves.

Key words

AV-valves - Relative insufficiency - Circumference - Surface area - Papillary muscle changes