A concise review on the anatomy of the atrioventricular node in mammals

Document Type : Review Articles

Author

• Abolghassem Nabipour

Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

10.22067/veterinary.v1i1.2267

Abstract

Cardiac conduction system enables the heart to pulsate continuously by producing electric impulse and conducting it. As the anatomical information about cardiac conduction system in human being and other mammals needed in various fields of sciences, such as anatomy, histology, physiology, pathology and cardiology, the present review article intends to provide this basic information about an important part of this system; the atrioventricular node. The histological structure and blood supply of the node and also the internodal pathways which conduct impulse from the sinus node to the AV node will be discussed.

Keywords

• atrioventricular node (AV node)
• heart
• blood supply
• internodal pathways1

20.1001.1.2008465.2009.1.1.1.0

Main Subjects

• Anatomy

---

References

Bhatnagar, S. P. 1957. The special connecting (conducting) tissue in the heart of the lizard Mabuya dissimilis (Hallowell). Indian J.

Med. Sci. 11,410-414.

Bishop, S. P. and C. R. Cole. 1967.Morphology of the specialized conducting tissue in the atria of the equine heart. Anat.

Rec. 158,401-416.

Copenhaver, W. M. and R. C. Truex. 1952.Histology of the atrial portion of the cardiac conduction system in man and other

mammals. Anat. Rec. 114,601-625.

Cranefleld, P. F. 1965. The atrioventricular node and the ventricular conducting system in the nonmammalian vertebrate heart. Ann.N. Y. Acad. Sci. 127,145-150.

Frink, R. J. and T. N. James. 1973. Normal blood supply to the human His bundle and proximal bundle branches. Circulation.

47,8-18.

Frink, R. J. and B. Merrick. 1974. The sheep heart: Coronary and conduction system anatomy with special reference to the

presence of an os cordis. Anat. Rec.179,199-200.

Ghazi, S. R. and M. Tadjalli. 2002. Anatomy of the atrioventricular node of camels (Camelus dromedarius). Iranian Journal of Veterinary Research. 3,93-99.

James, T. N. 1961. Morphology of the human atrioventricular node, with remarks pertinent to its electrophysiology. Am.

Heart J. 62,756-770.

James, T. N. 1964. Anatomy of the AV node of the dog. Anat. Rec. 148,15-27.

James, T. N. 1965. Anatomy of the sinus node,AV node and os cordis of the beef heart.Anat. Rec. 153,361-372.

James, T. N. 1967. Anatomy of the cardiac conduction system in the rabbit. Circ. Res.20,638-648.

James, T. N. 1970. Cardiac conduction system:Fetal and postnatal development. Am. J.Cardiol. 25,213-225.

James, T. N. and C. A. Spence. 1966.Distribution of cholinesterase within the sinus node and AV node of the human

heart. Anat. Rec. 155,151-162.

Kim, Y. and M. Yasuda. 1979. The cardiac conducting system of the fowl. Anat.Histol.Embryol. 8,138-150.

Lu, Y., T. N. James, S. Yamamato, and F.Terasaki. 1993. Cardiac conduction system in the chicken: gross anatomy plus light and

electron microscopy. Anat. Rec. 236,493-510.

Meijler, F. L. and J. Strackee. 2006. Evolution and scaling of atrioventricular conduction time in mammals. Am. Heart Hosp. J. 4,53-57.

Meyling, H. A. and H. Terborg. 1957. The conducting system of the heart in hoofed animals. Cornell Vet. J. 47,419-447.

Nabipour, A. 2002. Anatomy and histology of the atrioventricular node of goats (Capra hircus). J. Appl. Anim. Res. 22,67-71.

Nabipour, A. 2004. Anatomy and histology of the atrioventricular node in the heart of guinea pig (Cavia percellus). Iranian

Journal of Veterinary Research. 8,64-70.

Nabipour, A. and H. Safaei. 2008. Study on the atrioventricular conducting system in the heart of turkey. J. Appl. Anim. Res.

34,169-172.

Nabipour, A. and M. R. Shahabodini. 2007.Histological study of the atrioventricular node and bundle in the heart of ovine fetus.

Iranian Journal of Veterinary Research.8,67-70.

Nabipour, A., M. Tadjalli, and S. R. Ghazi.1999. Anatomy of the atrioventricular node in the heart of cat. J. Appl. Anim. Res.

15,35-40.

Netter, F. H. 1981. The Ciba collection of medical illustrations; Heart.. Vol. 5. Ciba Pharmaceutical Company, New York. :

Prakash, R. 1960. The heart and its conduction system in the lizard Calotes versi color (Daudin). Anat. Rec. 136:469-475.

Robb, J. S. 1953. Specialized (conducting) tissue in the turtle heart. J. Physiol. 172,7-13.

Schummers, A., H. Wilkens, B. Vollmerhaus,and K. H. Habermehl. 1981. The anatomy of the domestic animals. Vol. 3. Verlag

Paul Parey., Berlin.

Shimada, T., T. Noguchi, I. Asami, and G. R.Campbell. 1986. Functional morphology of the conduction system and the myocardium in the sheep heart as revealed by scanning

and transmission microscopic analyses.Arch Histol. Jpn. 49,936-995.

Szabo, E., S. Viragh, and C. E. Challice. 1986.The structure of the atrioventricular system in the avian heart. Anat. Rec. 215,1-9.

Titus, J. L., G. W. Daugherty, and J. E.Edwards. 1963. Anatomy of the normal human atrioventricular conduction system.

Am. J. Anat. 113,407-415.

Yousuf, N. 1965. The conducting system of the heart of the house sparrow, Passer domesticus indicus. . Anat. Rec. 152,235-250.