VMED 5127

Histology and Developmental

Anatomy The Cardio Vascular
System
Fakhri Al-Bagdadi, Bvsc, Ph D
Comparative Biomedical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine,
LSU Baton Rouge, LA
OBJECTIVES: After completing this unit the student should
be able to:
1.Briefly discuss the embryonic origin of
blood vessels.
2.List the early embryonic vessels and trace
the circulation of blood through these vessels.
3. Explain the meaning
of “vitelline circulation” as opposed to “umbilical
circulation”.
4.Discuss the formation of the heart, beginning with
the two early heart tubes.
5.Discuss fetal circulation.
6.Discuss the
structural changes in the cardiovascular system at
birth.
RESOURCES:
I. Cardiovascular system
1. The heart starts as a pair of endothelial
angioblastic cords.
2.They canalize to form
endothelial heart tubes . 3.
They fuse to form a single heart tube.
4. Three
paired veins drain the embryo into the tubular
heart.
a. Vitelline veins return poorly oxygenated
blood from the yolk sac.
b. Umbilical
veins carry well oxygenated blood from the
primordial placenta.
1-Vitelline Vein 2- Umbilical Vein 3- Common
Cardinal Veins
D. Development of the Primitive Heart
1. Mesenchymal cells in the cardiogenic area form two
angioblastic cords.
2. These cords become
canalized to form two, endothelial heart tubes.
3. Tubes fuse to form a single endothelial heart tube.

4. The surrounding mesoderm form the

primitive myocardium
5. The heart is composed of an endothelial tube
separated from the primitive myocardium, by gelatinous
connective tissue called cardiac jelly.
6. The endothelial tube becomes
the lining of the heart, the endocardium,
7.The
primitive myocardium becomes the muscular wall or myocardium.
8.The
visceral pericardium or epicardium is derived from mesothelial
Two Heart Tubes
Formation of the Pericardial Cavity and Fusing
the Heart tubes
The Layers of the Heart Wall
9. The heart lie caudal to the oropharyngeal
membrane.
10. The tubular heart develops:
a. Truncus arteriosus,
b. Bulbus cordis,
c. Ventricle,
d. Atrium,
e. Sinus venosus..
11. The truncus arteriosus continues
with the aortic sac, to from the aortic
arches.
12. The sinus venosus
receives a. The umbilical
vein, from the chorion
b. The vitelline vein from
the yolk sac c. The
common cardinal veins from the
embryo
E. Circulation Through the Primitive Heart
Contractions of the heart.
1.Occur in peristalsis-like waves that begin in
the sinus venosus.
2.At first circulation is of an ebb and blow
type; contractions are in unidirectional flow.
3. Blood enters the sinus venosus from:
(a) The embryo via the common
cardinal veins, (b) The developing
placenta via the umbilical veins,
(c) The yolk sac
via the vitelline veins..
4. Blood from the sinus venosus enters the
primitive atrium
a. Controlled by
sinoatrial valves
5. The blood then passes through the
atrioventricular primitive ventricle.
6.
Ventricle pump blood through the bulbus cordis
and truncus arteriosus into the aortic sac.
7. From
aortic sac is distributed to the aortic arches in
the branchial or pharyngeal arches.
8.The blood
The developing
Heart Bends on
its self to form
an S-shaped
hear.
F. Partitioning of the Primitive Heart
1. Endocardial cushions form on the dorsal and
ventral walls of the atrioventricular canal.
2. The atrioventricular endocardial
cushions fuse, dividing the atrioventricular canal
into right and left atrioventricular canals.
G. Partitioning of the Primitive
Atrium
1. It is divided into right and left atria by two
septa,
a. Septum primum and
b. septum secundum.
2. Septum
primum unites with the endocardial cushions.
3. Septum primum, a thin membrane.

4. Foramen primum, forms, then

disappear.
5. Perforations appear in the
central part of the septum primum.
6. The perforations form
foramen secundum.
7. Septum primum fuses with
the endocardial cushions, obliterating the
foramen primum

8. Septum secundum overlaps the foramen

secundum in the septum primum.
 Well oxygenated
blood is shunted
from the right
atrium through
the oval foramen
to the left atrium
when pressure
rises

Before Birth
 Pressure in left atrium
rises due to blood
return from the lungs.
Septum primum is
pressed against septum
secondum permanatly
closing the oval
foramen forming the
oval fossa

After Birth
11. Prenatal,
a. foramen ovale allows the blood
entering the right atrium from the inferior vena
cava to pass into the left atrium
b. It prevents the
passage of blood in the opposite direction
c. Septum primum
closes against septum secundum.
12. Postnatal
a. foramen ovale normally closes,
c. Interatrial septum partition
between atria.
b. when septum primum and
septum secundum fuses.
R. Foramen Ovale,
1. The oval foramen closes at
birth.
2. Anatomical closure is
due to adhesion of the septum primum
(the valve of the foramen ovale) to the left
margin of the septum secundum.

3.The septum primum forms the floor of

the fossa ovalis.
4. The inferior edge of the
septum secundum forms a rounded fold, the
P. The Fetal Circulation
1. Well-oxygenated blood returns from the placenta in the
umbilical vein.
2. Half the blood from the placenta passes through the
hepatic sinusoids.
3. The remainder by passes the liver and goes through
the ductus venosus into the inferior vena cava.
4. The blood flow through ductus venosus is regulated by a
sphincter close to the umbilical vein.
5. The sphincter
relaxes, more blood passes through the ductus venosus.

6. The sphincter contracts, more blood is diverted

through the portal sinus to the portal vein and into the hepatic
sinusoids.
7. There
is a physiological sphincter that prevents overloading of the
heart when venous flow in the umbilical vein is high, e.g.,
8. After a short course in the inferior vena cava, the blood enters
the right atrium of the heart.

9. The caudal vena cava contains poorly oxygenated

blood from the lower limbs, abdomen, and pelvis
10.
The blood entering the right atrium is not a well oxygenated as
that in the umbilical vein, but it is still well-oxygenated blood.
11. Blood from inferior vena cava is
directed by the inferior border of the septum secundum called the
crista dividens through foramen ovale into the left atrium.

12. Here it mixes with the deoxygenated blood

returning from the lungs via the pulmonary veins.
13.
From the left atrium, the blood passes into the left ventricle and
leaves via the ascending aorta.
14. The
15. The liver receives well oxygenated blood from the umbilical
vein.
16. A small amount of well-oxygenated blood from the inferior
vena cava remains in the right atrium.

17. This blood mixes with poorly oxygenated blood from the
superior vena cava and coronary sinus and passes into the right
ventricle.
18. This blood leaves via the pulmonary trunk.
19. Most of it
passes through the ductus arteriosus into the aorta.

20. Because of the

high pulmonary vascular resistance in fetal life.
21. Forty to 50 per cent of the blood in the descending
aorta passes into the umbilical arteries and is returned to the
placenta for reoxygenation.
22.The rest of the blood supplies the viscera and the
Fetal Circulation
Course of the blood
from the Placenta to
the heart.
Three shunts
permist the blood to
bypass the liver and
lungs.
1-Ductus
venosus 2-
Oval foramen
3-Ductus
arteriosus
Q. The Neonatal Circulation
1. Circulatory adjustments occur at birth when the circulation
of fetal blood through the placenta ceases and the infant’s
lungs begin to function.
2. The three shunts that permitted much of
the blood to bypass the liver and the lungs cease to function.

3. As soon as the baby is born, the foramen ovale, ductus

arteriosus, ductus venosus, and umbilical vessels are no
longer needed.
4. The sphincter in the ductus venosus constricts so
that all blood entering the liver passes through the hepatic
sinusoids. 5. Occlusion of
the placental circulation causes fall of blood pressure in the
inferior vena cava and right atrium.
6. Aeration of the lungs is associated with fall in pulmonary
vascular resistance, increase in pulmonary blood flow, and a
progressive thinning of the walls of the pulmonary arteries.
Neonatal
Circulation
After birth the three
shunt that short-
circulated the blood
during the fetal life
cease to function
they are
1-Ductus
arteriosus became
ligament.
2-Ductus venosus
became ligament.
3-Oval foramen
is closed by septum
primum.
R. ADULT DERIVATIVES OF FETAL VESSELS AND
OTHER FETAL CIRCULATORY STRUCTURES.
1. The intra-
abdominal portion of the umbilical vein becomes the ligamentum
teres, 2.The
umbilical vein remains patent for a long time and may be used for
exchange transfusions during early infancy.
3. This is done to prevent
brain damage and death of anemic erythroblastotic infants.
4. The lumen of the
umbilical vein usually does not disappear completely; hence, the
ligamentum teres can be used, if necessary, be cannulated in
adults for the injection of contrast medium or
chemotherapeutic drugs.

5. The ductus venosus becomes the ligamentum venosum,

attached to the inferior vena cava.
6. The
S. Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA).
2. Associated with maternal rubella
infection during early pregnancy.
3. Failure of contraction of the muscular wall of
the ductus arteriosus after birth is the primary
cause of patency.
4. Low
oxygen content of the infant blood affect closure
of the ductus arteriosus.
5.
PDA occurs in new born with respiratory
diffulties due to deficiency of surfactant.

6. PDA is common in infants

Cynotic Cardiac
Malformation
Teratology of Fallot
1-Dextro aorta
2-Pulmonary
stenosis
3- I-V Septal
Defect 4-Dilation and
hypertrophy of the
right ventricle
Cyanotic Cardiac
Malformation

Eisenmanger Complex
1-Dextroaorta
2- I-V septal
defect 3-Right
vetricular dilation with
hypertrophy
Abnormal division of Trancus