Anatomy Of The Python Heart - PubMed

Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Skip to main page content

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation Search: Search Advanced Clipboard Save Email Send to

• Clipboard
• My Bibliography
• Collections
• Citation manager

Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID

Save citation to file

Format: Summary (text) PubMed PMID Abstract (text) CSV Create file Cancel

Email citation

Email address has not been verified. Go to My NCBI account settings to confirm your email and then refresh this page. To: Subject: Body: Format: Summary Summary (text) Abstract Abstract (text) MeSH and other data Send email Cancel

Add to Collections

• Create a new collection
• Add to an existing collection

Name your collection: Name must be less than 100 characters Choose a collection: Unable to load your collection due to an error Please try again Add Cancel

Add to My Bibliography

• My Bibliography

Unable to load your delegates due to an error Please try again Add Cancel

Your saved search

Name of saved search: Search terms: Test search terms Would you like email updates of new search results? Saved Search Alert Radio Buttons

• Yes
• No

Email: (change) Frequency: Monthly Weekly Daily Which day? The first Sunday The first Monday The first Tuesday The first Wednesday The first Thursday The first Friday The first Saturday The first day The first weekday Which day? Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Report format: Summary Summary (text) Abstract Abstract (text) PubMed Send at most: 1 item 5 items 10 items 20 items 50 items 100 items 200 items Send even when there aren't any new results Optional text in email: Save Cancel

Create a file for external citation management software

Create file Cancel

Your RSS Feed

Name of RSS Feed: Number of items displayed: 5 10 15 20 50 100 Create RSS Cancel RSS Link Copy

Full text links

Springer Full text links

Actions

CiteCollectionsAdd to Collections

• Create a new collection
• Add to an existing collection

Name your collection: Name must be less than 100 characters Choose a collection: Unable to load your collection due to an errorPlease try again Add Cancel PermalinkPermalinkCopyDisplay options Display options Format AbstractPubMedPMID

Page navigation

• Title & authors
• Abstract
• Publication types
• MeSH terms
• LinkOut - more resources

Title & authors Abstract Publication types MeSH terms LinkOut - more resources Full text links CiteDisplay options Display options Format AbstractPubMedPMID

Abstract

The hearts of all snakes and lizards consist of two atria and a single incompletely divided ventricle. In general, the squamate ventricle is subdivided into three chambers: cavum arteriosum (left), cavum venosum (medial) and cavum pulmonale (right). Although a similar division also applies to the heart of pythons, this family of snakes is unique amongst snakes in having intracardiac pressure separation. Here we provide a detailed anatomical description of the cardiac structures that confer this functional division. We measured the masses and volumes of the ventricular chambers, and we describe the gross morphology based on dissections of the heart from 13 ball pythons (Python regius) and one Burmese python (P. molurus). The cavum venosum is much reduced in pythons and constitutes approximately 10% of the cavum arteriosum. We suggest that shunts will always be less than 20%, while other studies conclude up to 50%. The high-pressure cavum arteriosum accounted for approximately 75% of the total ventricular mass, and was twice as dense as the low-pressure cavum pulmonale. The reptile ventricle has a core of spongious myocardium, but the three ventricular septa that separate the pulmonary and systemic chambers--the muscular ridge, the bulbuslamelle and the vertical septum--all had layers of compact myocardium. Pythons, however, have unique pads of connective tissue on the site of pressure separation. Because the hearts of varanid lizards, which also are endowed with pressure separation, share many of these morphological specializations, we propose that intraventricular compact myocardium is an indicator of high-pressure systems and possibly pressure separation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search

MeSH terms

• Animals Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Boidae / anatomy & histology* Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Cardiac Volume Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Heart / anatomy & histology* Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Heart / physiology Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Heart Ventricles / anatomy & histology Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search
• Ventricular Function Actions
  • Search in PubMed
  • Search in MeSH
  • Add to Search

LinkOut - more resources

• Full Text Sources

  • Springer

Full text links [x] Springer [x] Cite Copy Download .nbib .nbib Format: AMA APA MLA NLM Send To

• Clipboard
• Email
• Save
• My Bibliography
• Collections
• Citation Manager

[x]

NCBI Literature Resources

MeSH PMC Bookshelf Disclaimer

The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited.