Variations in origin, course and termination of anterior interventricular artery

Abstract

Background and aims: Coronary arteries are known for their wide variations which are not readily covered in the standard Anatomy textbooks. Unpreparedness about these variations can lead to diagnostic misinterpretations and therapeutic catastrophes. Therefore a thorough knowledge of the coronary anatomy with demographic variations is highly essential. The Anterior interventricular artery or Left Anterior Descending artery is one of the most common site of coronary infarction and has been named as ‘the artery of coronary occlusion’ and ‘the artery of sudden death’. Therefore, this study is focused on the variations of this artery with special reference to its origin, course and termination. Materials and methods: One hundred hearts were studied, using standard methods of dissection. The anterior interventricular artery was dissected out and its origin, course and termination were noted. Results: The anterior interventricular artery originated as a terminal branch from the left coronary artery, descended along the anterior interventricular sulcus and terminated near the apex or up the posterior interventricular sulcus. It terminated anterior to the apex in 12%, 2-5 cm up the posterior interventricular sulcus in 57% and >5cm up the sulcus in 31% cases. Conclusion: The present study contributes to the increasing database of coronary artery variations and would help clinicians in better understanding of coronary anatomy and in better patient management.

Keywords

• left anterior descending artery
• lad
• ramus recurrens
• myocardial bridges
• sinus of valsalva
• anterior coronary artery of vieussens