80 Gross Anatomical and Biometrical Studies on the Heart and its Associated Blood Vessels in Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) of Mathura Region V. Gupta 1 , Archana Pathak 2 , Ajay Prakash 3* and M. M. Farooqui 2 Department of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry DUVASU, Mathura-281 001 (Uttar Pradesh) Received: 27 October 2012; Accepted: 30 December 2012 ABSTRACT The study was conducted on heart of 10 non-descript male buffalo calves of approximately 1 year of age. The heart of buffalo calf was cone shaped. Its base was wide and extended from cranial border of the 3 rd rib to caudal border of 5 th rib, whereas, apex was conical. Total length of heart was found to be correlated with length and width of left and right atrium, length of right as well as left ventricle, circumference of aorta and descending aorta. The circumference of aorta was correlated with circumference of descending aorta, cranial venacava, caudal venacava, thickness of wall of pulmonary artery and wall of left ventricle. Key words: Biometry, Gross anatomy, Heart The knowledge of position and normal biometry of heart is very important for the diagnosis of diseases and corrective surgical manipulation. The general description regarding heart of ox, horse, dog, goat and pig is available in many text books of veterinary anatomy. The present study describes the anatomical position and biometry of heart and large blood vessels in detail in buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis) of Mathura region. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted on heart of 10 healthy male buffalo calves up to 1 year of age, procured for the undergraduate teaching. The age of the animal was recorded with the help of dentition before embalming. The hearts were thoroughly cleaned. Various biometrical parameters were taken with the help of metric scale, non- stretchable thread and Vernier callipers. The biometrical parameters were analyzed statistically (Snedecor and Cochran, 1980). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The total length of heart was 16.74±1.19 cm whereas, latero-medial and cranio-caudal widths were 12.83±1.6 and 13.18±1.18 cm, respectively. The circumference of the heart at coronary groove was 23.26±1.17 cm. Panhwar et al., (2007) reported the same parameters in young male and female buffalo calves that were 27.6±0.40 and 26.0±0.51cm, respectively. The base of the heart in buffalo calf was wide and lay opposite to the cranial border of 3 rd rib to caudal border of the 5 th rib as described by Sisson and Grossman (1974) in ox and Panhwar et al. (2007) in buffalo. It lay above the last segment of the sternum at the level of caudal border of the sterno-costal junction as reported earlier in adult female Murrah buffalo (Dhingra and Sharma, 1978). The cranial border of the heart was strongly convex as reported in ox and horse (Sisson and Grossman, 1974) and adult female Murrah buffalo (Dhingra and Sharma, 1978). It lay opposite to the caudal border of the 2 nd rib and was related with the apical lobe of the right lung. The caudal border was convex in its upper part but concave in its lower part. It was related with small part of the diaphragm and diaphragmatic lobe of the left lung. The coronary groove indicated the division of heart into upper atrium and lower ventricles and it was filled with fat. The external length and width of the left atrium was 4.75±0.72 and 7.02±0.72 cm, respectively. The same parameters of right atrium were 4.86±1.22 and 12.23±2.31 cm, respectively. It formed the right anterior portion of the base of the heart. The distance between opening of cranial and caudal venacava was 7.52±0.08 cm. The opening of cranial venacava into atrium was at the level of 3 rd rib and it was 23.87±0.72 cm below the summit of third thoracic vertebra. The opening of caudal venacava was Indian Journal of Veterinary Anatomy 24 (2): 80-81, December 2012 1 Asstt. Prof.; 2 Assoc. Prof.; 3 Prof. & Head *Corresponding author: apsharmamathura@rediffmail.com