In
anatomy, the
papillary muscles of the
heart serve to limit the movements of the
mitral and
tricuspid valves. These muscles contract to tighten the
chordae tendineae, which in turn prevent inversion. This occurs in response to
pressure gradients. Instead they brace the valves against the high pressure, preventing regurgitation of ventricular blood back into the atrial cavities.
Additional images
External links
- - "Heart: The Right Atrioventricular (Tricupsid) Valve" (anterior, posterior, septal papillary muscles)
- - "Heart: The Left Atrioventricular (Mitral) Valve" (anterior, posterior papillary muscles)
- - "Right atrioventricular bundle branch, anterior view"
- Definition of Papillary muscle
- MedicineNet Search Results
