Closure of the Foramen Ovale
While the baby develops and begins to use its lungs, pressure builds up in the Foramen Ovale, forcing it to close. As the foramen ovale closes and the margin of the septum secundum in the right atrium transforms into the anulus ovalis, the depression below it becomes the fossa ovalis. Independent respiration and circulation are made possible by the fossa ovalis. Usually, the closure takes place three months after the baby is born. However, there is no set timeline for the closure. The Fossa ovalis may develop from the Foramen ovale within three months or even two years after birth. There are few cases where, the Fossa ovalis never close completely.
However, there is no importance to it, and is called Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO). If it is not close, then it does not impact the heart and has no symptoms at all. Most people do not even realize the existence of the PFO within them. Many Medical researchers have found that 34% of people have the problem of PFO. A small hole is formed where the Fossa ovalis should have been formed. PFO can be identified by a medical diagnosis like Echocardiogram.
Fossa Ovalis
The heart is a muscular organ that circulates blood through the circulatory/vascular systems around the body. It assists in the distribution of oxygen to every region of the body. The heart is shaped like a quadrangular pyramid, with the anterior thoracic wall at its apex and the posterior thoracic wall at its base. It is split into two halves by a septum or partition. Four chambers are created by further dividing these sections. It is situated in the middle of the mediastinum and is surrounded by the pericardium, a two-layered sac filled with fluid. Electrical impulses generated by this muscle cause the heart to beat and pump blood throughout the body. The large blood vessels that branch out from the heart supply blood to the upper and lower limbs, thorax, and belly. The cardiovascular system of the body is made up of the heart and the circulatory system.
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