Study of the Variations in the Coronary Arteries in Humans

Abstract

Background and Objective: Coronary arteries demonstrate many anatomical variations, which may have some clinical significance. This study aims to describe the anatomy of the coronary arteries in humans and study their variations and their prevalence.

Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study of coronary angiograms sample (500 cardiac patients) by Philips DICOM Viewer program.

Results: The main results were: 1. Mean length of the main stem of the left coronary artery: 11.96 ± 4.18 mm. 2. Mean bifurcation angle between anterior interventricular and circumflex arteries: 91^o ± 11.4^o. 3. Median artery: 26.4%. 4. Myocardial bridges: 4.8%. 5. Origin of posterior interventricular artery: right coronary artery 68.8%, circumflex artery 2.4%, or double origin from both right coronary and circumflex arteries 28.8%. 6. Coronary dominance: right 59.2%, left 13.6%, balanced 24%, or undetermined 3.2%.

Conclusion: This study showed that coronary arteries demonstrate many significant variations regarding their origin, length, route and branching. Recognizing these variations has significant role in reading and interpreting coronary angiograms and in surgical revascularization.