Vengadachalam Kittu, Santhakumar Rangarajan, Muniappan Veerappan
BACKGROUND
Knowledge of coronary artery branching pattern and their anomalies that occur during foetal development is essential for clinicians. They are associated with high incidence of morbidity and mortality due to congenital heart diseases. Failure to recognise them can lead to inadequate or prolonged procedures and may also lead to misdiagnosis and complications such as accidental ligation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A properly embalmed and stored 50 human heart specimens were dissected in the age group of 20-65 years to study the course and distribution of coronary arteries. The study was conducted in dissection hall, Department of Anatomy, Rajah Muthiah Medial College and Hospital (RMMC and H), Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India, from August 2010 to July 2013
. RESULTS
We found a very rare incidence of anomalous branching pattern in the coronary circulation out of 50 heart specimens. The anterior interventricular artery was found giving off one communicating branch to Right Coronary Artery (RCA) on the anterior aspect of infundibulum, which after taking sinuous course to join RCA. We coined this anomalous communication as arteria anastomotica infundibularis magna. To our knowledge, this is a very rare incidence and it is not reported elsewhere.
CONCLUSION
Due to excessive stress and strain of day-to-day modern life, the incidence of death due to myocardial ischaemia also increases. To treat medically and surgically, the basic knowledge of the coronary arteries and its branching pattern with any anomalous is essential for cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, radiologists and especially anatomists for teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students of anatomy.
