TY - JOUR A1 - , T1 - Morphological relationships between the oval fossa and neighboring structures JO - Eur. J. Anat. SN - 1136-4890 Y1 - 1998 VL - 2 SP - 85 EP - 89 UR - http://www.eurjanat.com/web/paper.php?id=98020007 KW - Fetal - neonatal - oval foramen - oval fossa. N2 - Morphometric data are potentíally useful in gui­ ding paediatric cardiac surgery to correct atrial septal defects and as an aid to diagnosing pre­ natal narrowing or closure of the oval foramen. The purpose of this study was to find correla­ tions between a series of morphornetríc parame­ ters in the developing human oval fossa and body weight in fetuses and newborns. All speci­ mens were from southern Spain,and are preser­ ved in formaldehyde at the Department of Morphological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Granada in Granada,Spain. We studied 95 fetal and neonatal hearts (50 male, 45 female, body weight 501-4000 g, 26-40 weeks of gestation).Morphometric techniques were used to measure the distances from the centre and rim of the oval fossa to neighbouring structures in. the right atrium (craneal and caudal caval veins, coronary sinus, tricuspid valve orifice),and the distances from the rim and centre of the prirnary septum to neighbouring structures in the left atrium (right pulmonary vein,mitral valve orifi­ ce).The vertical and transverse diarneters and area of the oval fossa were measured, and the relationships between area of the oval fossa and area of the atrial septum were calculatecl. These data were correlated with log fetal and neonatal bocly weight in kilograms. AH morphometric pararneters were significantly related to log fetal or neonatal body weight(p < 0.001).The values were not affected by the shape (oval or circular) of the oval fossa. The data can be used to cal­ culate blood flow through the oval foramen with Doppler echocarcliographic techníques. They can also enhance the success of surgícal tec ques such as double-umbrella closure of atrial clefects. ER -