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Location and variability of epicardiac ganglia in human fetuses

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the morphology of epicardiac ganglia in human fetuses at different stages of their development as these ganglia are considered to be of a pivotal clinical importance. Twenty-one fetal hearts were investigated applying a technique of histochemistry for acetylcholinesterase to visualize the epicardiac neural ganglionated plexus with its subsequent stereoscopic examination on total organs. In all of the examined fetuses, epicardiac neural plexus with numerous ganglia was well recognizable and could be clearly differentiated into seven ganglionated subplexuses, topography and structural organization of which were typical for hearts of adult human. The largest ganglion number comprising 77% of all counted ganglia was identified on the dorsal atrial surface. Fetal epicardiac plexus in gestation period of 15–40 weeks contained 929 ± 62 ganglia, but ganglion amount did vary substantially from heart to heart. In conclusion, this study implies that the human fetal epicardiac ganglia occupy their definitive location already at gestation period from 15 weeks and their number as well as distribution on heart surface presumably is not age dependent.

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Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank Mrs. Darius Pranys and Valdas Sarauskas as well as Drs. Valdas and Gertruda Skripkai for their support in sampling material for the present study. This study was in part supported by a grant from Lithuanian State Science and Studies Foundation (N 455/2001).

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  1. Institute for Anatomy, Kaunas University of Medicine, A. Mickeviciaus Street 9, Kaunas, 44307, Lithuania

    Inga Saburkina & Dainius H. Pauza

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  1. Inga Saburkina
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  2. Dainius H. Pauza
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Correspondence to Dainius H. Pauza.

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Saburkina, I., Pauza, D.H. Location and variability of epicardiac ganglia in human fetuses. Anat Embryol 211, 585–594 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-006-0110-4

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