Endocardial Endothelium: Control of Cardiac Performance

This text discusses the obligatory role of cardiac endothelial cells in the control and modulation of cardiac performance. This novel concept was developed by Brutsaert and collaborators between 1983 and 1986 and is reviewed here, along with recent information on embryology, comparative physiology, functional morphology, physiopharmacology, electrophysiology and dysfunction of cardiac endothelial cells.