Defining characteristics of the cardiac chambers
| Structure | Characteristic appearance |
| Right atrium | Systemic venous connections |
| Wide necked, blunt appendage | |
| Left atrium | Narrow necked, hook like appendage |
| Right ventricle | Tricuspid valve offset apically |
| Chordal attachments to the ventricular septum | |
| Triangular shape with separate inflow/body/outflow | |
| Moderator band | |
| Trabeculated endocardial surface | |
| Left ventricle | Mitral valve offset basally |
| Two papillary muscles—no chordal insertion to septum | |
| Ellipsoid shape with adjacent inflow and outflow tracts |