Jhony Alejandro Díaz-Vallejo; Jorge Eduardo Duque-Parra; Clara Helena Gonzalez-Correa & Jhonatan Duque-Colorado

The limited understanding of the anatomical variations of the trabeculae carneae and their impact on cardiac function reveals a gap in current knowledge. Therefore, this study presents a systematic review that identifies and analyzes variations in the trabeculae carneae and evaluates their relationship with cardiac diseases. We conducted a systematic review following the guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook. The databases reviewed were Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and BVS. Observational human studies investigating the morphology or morphometric characteristics of trabeculae carneae were considered for inclusion. A total of 314 articles were found, of which eight were selected. The selected studies used imaging tools that allowed visualization of the trabeculae carneae. However, none provided a morphometric description of the trabeculae carneae in healthy populations or those with cardiovascular pathologies. Although some studies suggest that trabeculae carneae play a significant role in cardiac structure and that their distribution pattern could constitute a risk factor in developing cardiac pathologies, other investigations did not find evidence of a clear pathological relationship. It is essential to accurately define ventricular trabeculation through dissection studies, which, together with imaging tools, could be sufficient to establish quantitative and qualitative parameters that allow the identification of its role in myocardial pathophysiology

KEY WORDS: Heart; Trabeculae carneae; Cardiomyopathies; Diagnostic Imaging.

DÍAZ-V ALLEJO, J. A.; DUQUE-P ARRA, J. E.; GONZALEZ-CORREA, C. H. & DUQUE-COLORADO, J. Association between ventricular trabeculation and cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review. Int. J. Morphol., 43(3):1090-1096, 2025.