Morphometric correlations of the foetal heart dimensions
M. Cojocaru , L. Chircor, D. Ulmeanu , E. Osman
Département de Morphologie Humaine, Faculté de Médecine et Pharmacie, Université «Ovidius», 8700 Constanta (Roumanie)

OBJECTIVES : This study tries to appreciate the stages of heart development during foetal life by morphometry, correlating the results with the foetal age. The motivation is the fact that there are no recent reference results in the specialty literature.
MATERIAL and METHODS : We studied a number of fifteen foetal hearts from aborted foetuses resulted from spontaneous abortions. We measured the longitudinal, transverse and sagittal diameters of the heart, the dimensions of interatrial and interventricular septa, the dimensions of Botal’s foramen, of atrioventricular foramina and of valvular cusps. Measurements were made using the “double-blind” method with a compass having a millimetrical scale, with an error of 0,01 mm. We compared the both groups of the obtained values and finally we have admitted only those which were included between the limits of the standard error. Finally the results were statistically processed and they were mainly correlated with the foetal age (which was appreciated by measuring the vertex-coccyx distance).
RESULTS and CONCLUSIONS : We have observed that the younger specimens presented thick and fleshy cusps at the level of the atrioventricular orifices (they just began to develop from the myocardium of the subendocardial cushions which will be invaded further by fibrous tissue) while in older ones these became thin, fibrous and translucent. The older specimens allow us to observe the rough, clear and basal zones of the cusps.
We found a good linear correlation (CI = 0,751) between the foetal age and the different heart dimensions, as well as between other parameters we have studied.
Concerning the relation between the foetal age and the surface of Botal’s orifice we found that there is a correlation but not linear (The graphic representation has the shape of a bell).
In the period of 165185 days, the development of the heart is not symmetrical, longitudinal and antero-posterior diameters have a higher developmental speed while the transverse diameter grows with an approximately constant rate. Aortic orifice has a constant developmental rate, while the pulmonary orifice has a greater rate of development than the aortic one, on the corresponding period of foetal life. The atrioventricular orifices have different developmental rates.