Abstract
In contrast to studies on domestic animals, few reports describe ventricular bands in wildlife, and none in aquatic mammals. Ventricular bands in the endangered Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) and the Baltic ringed seal (Pusa hispida botnica) were examined as part of an ongoing research on the comparative anatomy of ringed seal subspecies. The dissections illustrated that a varying number of thin or thick ventricular bands from the papillary muscles to the ventricular walls were visible in the ventricles of all ringed seal specimens examined. The histological appearance of the ventricular bands was characterized by a fibromuscular pattern.
Highlights
Ventricular bands, known as false tendons, are thin fibrous or fibromuscular bands that traverse the ventricular lumen between the papillary muscles, ventricular wall and interventricular septum (Gerlis et al, 1984; Kervancioğlu et al, 2003)
The macroscopic anatomy of the hearts of the Saimaa ringed seal and the Baltic ringed seal closely resembled that of the arctic Pusa hispida from Alaska (Pfeiffer & Viers, 1995; Smodlaka et al, 2008), but the conductive components or the ventricular bands have not been studied previously in ringed seals (Pfeiffer & Viers, 1995)
Similar to the results reported previously from other mammals (Kosiński et al, 2012) including wild lynx (Kareinen et al, 2020), ventricular bands of the ringed seals were more numerous in the left ventricle, and their histological appearance was characterized by a fibromuscular pattern (Figures 2 and 3)
Summary
Ventricular bands, known as false tendons, are thin fibrous or fibromuscular bands that traverse the ventricular lumen between the papillary muscles, ventricular wall and interventricular septum (Gerlis et al, 1984; Kervancioğlu et al, 2003). There is no proper name for ventricular bands determined in the Veterinary Gross Anatomical Nomenclature (ICVGAN, 2017). Ventricular bands have no association with atrioventricular cusps (Gerlis et al, 1984; Kervancioğlu et al, 2003). Ventricular bands have been reported from humans and several animal species (Cope, 2019; Kareinen et al, 2020; Kervancioğlu et al, 2003; Kimura et al, 2016; Kosiński et al, 2012, 2013; Luetmer et al, 1986; Turner, 1893). Because of the gross similarity of ventricular bands and trabeculae septomarginalis in animals (Cope, 2019), histological studies are needed to differentiate these anatomical structures
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