| Ventricle | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:CG_Heart.gif) Computer generated animation of cut section of the human heart showing both ventricles. | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | ventriculus cordis |
| MeSH | D006352 |
| TA98 | A12.1.00.012 |
| FMA | 7100 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
A ventricle is one of two large chambers located toward the bottom of the heart that collect and expel blood towards the peripheral beds within the body and lungs. The blood pumped by a ventricle is supplied by an atrium, an adjacent chamber in the upper heart that is smaller than a ventricle. Interventricular means between the ventricles (for example the interventricular septum), while intraventricular means within one ventricle (for example an intraventricular block).
In a four-chambered heart, such as that in humans, there are two ventricles that operate in a double circulatory system: the right ventricle pumps blood into the pulmonary circulation to the lungs, and the left ventricle pumps blood into the systemic circulation through the aorta.