Endocardium
The endocardium lines the heart chambers and is continuous with the tunica intima of blood vessels; it is thicker in the atria than in the ventricles. The endocardium consists of an endothelium (simple squamous epithelium), an underlying layer of subendothelial connective tissue that may also contain smooth muscle fibers, and a deeper layer of subendocardial connective tissue. Elements of the conducting system of the heart, Purkinje fibers, are located in the subendocardial connective tissue layer. 10x, 400x, 400x
Endocardium
The endocardium lines the heart chambers and is continuous with the tunica intima of blood vessels; it is thicker in the atria than in the ventricles. The endocardium consists of an endothelium (simple squamous epithelium), an underlying layer of subendothelial connective tissue that may also contain smooth muscle fibers, and a deeper layer of subendocardial connective tissue. Elements of the conducting system of the heart, Purkinje fibers, are located in the subendocardial connective tissue layer. 10x, 400x, 400x
- Endothelium
The endocardium lines the heart chambers and is continuous with the tunica intima of blood vessels; it is thicker in the atria than in the ventricles. The endocardium consists of an endothelium (simple squamous epithelium), an underlying layer of subendothelial connective tissue that may also contain smooth muscle fibers, and a deeper layer of subendocardial connective tissue. Elements of the conducting system of the heart, Purkinje fibers, are located in the subendocardial connective tissue layer. 10x, 400x, 400x
- Subendothelial connective tissue
The endocardium lines the heart chambers and is continuous with the tunica intima of blood vessels; it is thicker in the atria than in the ventricles. The endocardium consists of an endothelium (simple squamous epithelium), an underlying layer of subendothelial connective tissue that may also contain smooth muscle fibers, and a deeper layer of subendocardial connective tissue. Elements of the conducting system of the heart, Purkinje fibers, are located in the subendocardial connective tissue layer. 10x, 400x, 400x
- Subendocardial connective tissue
The endocardium lines the heart chambers and is continuous with the tunica intima of blood vessels; it is thicker in the atria than in the ventricles. The endocardium consists of an endothelium (simple squamous epithelium), an underlying layer of subendothelial connective tissue that may also contain smooth muscle fibers, and a deeper layer of subendocardial connective tissue. Elements of the conducting system of the heart, Purkinje fibers, are located in the subendocardial connective tissue layer. 10x, 400x, 400x
Cardiac muscle fibers of the myocardium
The endocardium lines the heart chambers and is continuous with the tunica intima of blood vessels; it is thicker in the atria than in the ventricles. The endocardium consists of an endothelium (simple squamous epithelium), an underlying layer of subendothelial connective tissue that may also contain smooth muscle fibers, and a deeper layer of subendocardial connective tissue. Elements of the conducting system of the heart, Purkinje fibers, are located in the subendocardial connective tissue layer. 10x, 400x, 400x
Image credit >
Images from the University of Cincinnati slide collection.
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