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The trabeculae carneae (columnae carneae, or fleshy beams), are rounded or irregular muscular columns which project from the whole of the inner surface of the ventricle, with the exception of the conus arteriosus.
They are of three kinds:
- some are attached along their entire length on one side and merely form prominent ridges,
- others are fixed at their extremities but free in the middle,
- while a third set (musculi papillares) are continuous by their bases with the wall of the ventricle, while their apices give origin to the chordæ tendineæ which pass to be attached to the segments of both the mitral valve and the tricuspid valve.
[edit] Function
The purpose of the trabeculae carnae is most likely to prevent suction that would occur with a flat surfaced membrane and thus impair the heart's ability to pump efficiently.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
