Account of a case of irregular formation of the heart, accompanied with a supernumerary valve in the pulmonary artery / [Theophilus Thompson].

  • Thompson, Theophilus, 1807-1860
Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Account of a case of irregular formation of the heart, accompanied with a supernumerary valve in the pulmonary artery / [Theophilus Thompson]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    more immediately connected with the pulmonary artery. On making an incision from that artery along the anterior part of the ventricle, four pulmo¬ nary valves were observed, but the tricuspid valve was not visible. A second incision parallel to the first was then made at the back part of the ventricle, by which means the tricuspid valve was discovered, separating the right auricle from a cavity corresponding in size and appearance to the right ventricle in its natural condition, excepting that the valves of the pulmo¬ nary artery were not seen. It was now obvious that the two cavities just described constituted the right ventricle, which was divided into two portions by an imperfect septum. This septum was com¬ posed, not of a uniform fleshy wall, but of decussa¬ ting and hypertrophied columnse carneae; some of which separating from each other near the base of the ventricle, left an aperture of communication about an inch long, and half an inch broad. Nearer the apex there were other small interstices amongst the columns, through which, although by a tortuous and difficult course, a small quantity of blood might probably have passed from one cavity to the other. The arterial chamber of the right ventricle was rather less spacious than that adjoining the auricle; the connecting orifice was partially covered by one of the divisions of the tricuspid valve. The walls of the left auricle, and of both the ventricles, were of natural thickness; but the right auricle was twice as thick as the left, and with very large and prominent musculi pectinati. The co-