Tendon of Todaro

Tendon of Todaro
Details
Synonyms	tendon of inferior pyramidal space, tendon of valve of inferior vena cava
Identifiers
Latin	tendo spatii pyramidalis inferioris (TA2) tendo valvulae venae cavae inferioris (TA98)
TA2	3981
Anatomical terminology [ edit on Wikidata]

Dissection in right anterior oblique view of the right atrium. TT: tendon of Todaro; ER: Eustachian valve, CSO: coronary sinus

The tendon of Todaro is part of the fibrous skeleton of the heart, located in the right atrium. It was described^{[ citation needed ]} by Italian anatomist Francesco Todaro. It is a continuation of the Eustachian valve of the inferior vena cava and the Thebesian valve of the coronary sinus.

It delimits the antero-superior boundary of the triangle of Koch. The apex of Koch's triangle is the location of the atrioventricular node. ^[1]

The tendon is near-impossible to locate in a living heart, so clinicians use other features to determine the boundaries of the Koch's triangle. ^[2] Some cardiologists even go as far as rejecting the usefulness of the tendom as an anatomical landmark altogether. ^[3]

References

1. McGuire, Mark A.; Johnson, David C.; Robotin, Monica; Richards, David A.; Uther, John B.; Ross, David L. (1992-09-15). "Dimensions of the triangle of Koch in humans" . The American Journal of Cardiology. 70 (7): 829–830. doi:10.1016/0002-9149(92)90574-I. ISSN   0002-9149. PMID   1519544.
2. Yen Ho & Anderson 2000.
3. James 1999.

Sources

• James, Thomas N. (1999). "The Tendons of Todaro and the "Triangle of Koch":: Lessons from Eponymous Hagiolatry" . Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology. 10 (11): 1478–1496. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8167.1999.tb00207.x. ISSN   1045-3873. PMID   10571368 . Retrieved 2025-05-13. Todaro tendons are too often absent (or multiple) to warrant use as anatomic landmarks
• Yen Ho, Siew; Anderson, Robert H. (2000). "How Constant Anatomically is the Tendon of Todaro as a Marker for the Triangle of Koch?" . Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology. 11 (1): 83–89. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8167.2000.tb00741.x. ISSN   1045-3873. PMID   10695467 . Retrieved 2025-05-13. the tendon of Todaro is not visible in the operating room or in the catheterization laboratory. Instead, clinicians use as surrogate a projected line between the eustachian valve and the central fibrous body