Direct emergence of the conus artery from an independent ostium. A cadaveric study on a Spanish sample

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency with which the conus artery originates from an independent ostium in the right aortic sinus. Twenty-five adult hearts (3 females, 5 males and 17 unknown sex), from the body donation program of the University of Girona, were analysed. After intravascular injection of natural coloured latex in the coronary ostia, the origin of the conus artery and its distribution pattern were analysed by microdissection. Three of the 25 hearts analysed (12.0%) displayed the direct emergence of the conus artery from a discrete ostium in the right aortic sinus in two specimens (8%) showing a single ostium for the independent conus artery, and in one heart (4%) two ostia for two independent conus arteries. In all cases, the independent conus arteries were shorter than the coronary artery and extended up to the anterior wall of the right ventricle, coinciding with the observations of previous authors. The independent conus artery may be an important source of collateral blood flow to the infundibulum. It may be an important source of apex and interventricular septum collateral irrigation. To ascertain the origin of the conus artery and its distribution is clinically important, particularly in obstructions of the anterior interventricular artery. The independent conus artery's collateral perfusion can both obscure the detection of any ischaemic modification in the apex and septum regions, and serve as a therapeutic source. Consequently, interpretations of the coronary occlusion clinical test should take this vascular channel into account

RESUMEN

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