Abstract
The cardiac conduction tissues in the human heart comprise specialized myocytes that can be differentiated from working myocardium with routine histological staining. They are located in specific regions of the heart to form the sinus node and the atrioventricular (AV) node, which then extend into the AV bundle and bundle branches. Both cardiac nodes are sited in the atria with working atrial myocardium in between (so called internodal preferential pathways). Atrial myocardium is separated from ventricular myocardium by fibrofatty tissues at the AV junction and rings. In the normal heart, the continuation of specialized myocytes from the AV node that forms the bundle of His, penetrating the central fibrous body, is the only muscular continuity between atrial and ventricular myocardium, allowing atrial impulses to be conveyed to the ventricles in an orderly fashion. In this chapter, we will deal with normal and pathological features of the conductive tissue of the heart.
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Basso, C., Ho, S.Y., Thiene, G. (2008). Anatomic and Histopathological Characteristics of the Conductive Tissues of the Heart. In: Gussak, I., Antzelevitch, C., Wilde, A.A.M., Friedman, P.A., Ackerman, M.J., Shen, WK. (eds) Electrical Diseases of the Heart. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84628-854-8_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84628-854-8_4
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