Expansion
Thick wall, fine trabeculae carneae, two papillary muscles, no moderator band
Expansion
| Feature | Left ventricle | Right ventricle |
|---|---|---|
| Wall thickness | About 3 times thicker | Thin |
| Cross-section | Circular | Crescentic |
| Trabeculae carneae | Fine and numerous | Coarse |
| Papillary muscles | 2 | 3 |
| Moderator band | Absent | Present |
| Outflow | Smooth aortic vestibule | Smooth infundibulum |
The wall thickness follows the pressure each chamber generates, about 120 mmHg on the left against about 25 mmHg on the right.
In congenital heart disease the ventricles are identified by their morphology, not their position: the ventricle with the moderator band and coarse trabeculation is the morphological right ventricle wherever it happens to lie.