Cardiac Development

In Cardiac Development Heart starts to form in


[A] Second week of gestation
[B] Third week of gestation
[C] Fourth week of gestation
[D] Fifth week of gestation



Cardiac Development

Cardiac Development

  • Heart starts to form in the third week of gestation
  • Heart fully formed by 8 weeks gestation.

  • Primary heart fields – Mesodermal precardiac cells migrate to form the cardiac crescents (primary heart fields) in anterior lateral plate mesoderm, which are then brought together to form a primary linear heart tube by ventral closure of the embryo.
  • Second heart field – Cells of the second heart field continue to proliferate outside the heart and are added to the heart tube over the course of embryogenesis, contributing to the
    • Atria
    • Right ventricle
    • Outflow tract
  • Cardiac neural crest cells – migrate into the developing heart in the 5th to 6th weeks and are essential for
    • Septation of the outflow
    • Formation of the semilunar valves
    • Patterning of the aortic arches
  • D- loop
    • Heart tube grows and elongates by addition of cells from the second heart field.
    • The ends of the heart tube are relatively fixed by the pericardial sac so that as it elongates it must loop (bend
    • Majority of hearts the loop falls to the right (D- loop)

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