Study of anatomical variation in origin of coronary arteries

Abstract

Introduction: Beneficial therapeutic options are increasingly available for coronary arterial disease. To take full advantage of these options, those performing the interventions require a thorough knowledge of the normal arrangement, and likely anatomic variations, of the coronary arterial system. Hence the study of variation in origin of coronary arteries in cadavers was conducted to generate data of assistance in therapeutic and diagnostic activities. Material and Methods: Using conventional dissecting techniques, 60 hearts from embalmed cadavers were dissected and studied for presence, location and number of coronary ostia. Results: Both right coronary artery (RCA) and left coronary artery (LCA) were most commonly found to be originating from sinus (80% and 65% respectively) region. Presence of one, two and three ostial openings in right aortic sinus was found in 53 (88.33%), 6 (10%) and 1 (1.67%) heart specimens while all heart specimens had single ostial opening in left aortic sinus except one heart showing two openings. Conclusion: The findings in this study may favorably add to the sparsely available data of variation in coronary ostia variables in Indian population.