A ventricular outflow tract is a portion of either the

left ventricle 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 t ...

right ventricle 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 (heart), atrium, an adjace ...

of the

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

through which

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...

passes in order to enter the

great arteries The great arteries are the primary arteries that carry blood away from the heart, which include: * ''Pulmonary artery'': the vessel that carries oxygen-depleted blood from the right ventricle to the lungs. * ''Aorta'': the blood vessel through whic ...

. The right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) is an infundibular extension of the ventricular cavity that connects to the

pulmonary artery A pulmonary artery is an artery in the pulmonary circulation that carries deoxygenated blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs. The largest pulmonary artery is the ''main pulmonary artery'' or ''pulmonary trunk'' from the heart, and ...

. The left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), which connects to the

aorta The aorta ( ; : aortas or aortae) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the Ventricle (heart), left ventricle of the heart, branching upwards immediately after, and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits at ...

, is nearly indistinguishable from the rest of the ventricle. The outflow tract is derived from the secondary heart field, during cardiogenesis. Both the left and right outflow tract have their own term. The right outflow tract is called "conus arteriosus" from the outside, and infundibulum from the inside. In the left ventricle the outflow tract is the "aortic vestibule". They both possess smooth walls, and are derived from the embryonic bulbus cordis In both left and right ventricle there are specific structures separating the inflow and outflow of blood. In the right ventricle, the inflow and outflow is separated by the supraventricular crest. In the left ventricle, the anterior cusp of the mitral valve is responsible for separating the flow of blood. A form of

ventricular tachycardia Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach or VT) is a cardiovascular disorder in which fast heart rate occurs in the ventricles of the heart. Although a few seconds of VT may not result in permanent problems, longer periods are dangerous; and multiple ...

originating from this anatomical structure is called RVOT tachycardia. The RVOT is pathophysiologically affected in Brugada syndrome.

References

Cardiology {{circulatory-stub

See also

References