ventriklen

Ventriklen is the definite form of ventrikel in Danish and Norwegian (ventrikeln in Swedish). It designates a ventricle, a hollow chamber within an organ that typically contains fluid or blood. In human anatomy the term is most often used for the brain’s ventricular system and for the heart’s ventricles.

The brain’s ventricular system comprises the paired lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ventricle, all connected to circulate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF is produced mainly by the choroid plexus and flows through the ventricles and subarachnoid space, supported by ependymal lining. The system helps cushion the brain, regulate the chemical environment, and remove waste. Obstruction or imbalance can lead to hydrocephalus, which is detectable by imaging methods such as MRI or CT.

The heart contains two ventricles: the right ventricle and the left ventricle. They form the lower chambers that receive blood from the atria and pump it to the lungs and to the rest of the body, respectively. The ventricles have thick muscular walls and internal ridges called trabeculae carneae. They are separated from the atria by the atrioventricular valves (tricuspid on the right, mitral on the left) and from the great arteries by the semilunar valves (pulmonary and aortic). Cardiac output depends on heart rate and stroke volume, and the left ventricle’s performance is often summarized by the ejection fraction. Ventricular disease can include hypertrophy, dilatation, heart failure, and arrhythmias, with diagnosis aided by imaging and hemodynamic assessment.