Study of the cardiac left atrioventricular valvar complex in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) of the Jafarabadi breed

Abstract

Atrioventricular valve complex of 30 Jafarabadi water buffaloes, adult males were studied in this research with no heart diseases. The animals were obtained from a slaughterhouse in Brazilian State of Parana. The hearts were opened at the third portion affording access to the valve complex. The complexes had its area, number and type of tendinous cords submitted to analysis. The results showed that the complex is composed by two cusps and four accessory cusps, two or three papillary muscles in which 10-25 tendinous cords fix on the cusps that face the ventricle wall. The total area of the complex was on average 38.56cm 2 , with a minimum of 24.96cm 2 and a maximum of 55.54cm 2 . Statistically, no relation between the number of cords and the cusps' area where they are inserted or with the number of papillary muscle where they originated from was observed. Cardiac left atrioventricular valvar complex in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) of the Jafarabadi breed 853