International Journal of Anatomical Sciences 2013, 4(2): 14-19

Research Paper

 Coronary Venous Anatomy and its Relevance.

Suma HY, Hariharan DR, Ramachandra Rao K.

 Department of Anatomy, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Education and Research, Puducherry, India.

Department of Anatomy, Saveetha Medical College, Chennai.

 Key words : coronary sinus, cardioplegia, thebesian valve, cardiac resynchronization therapy.

 Abstract: Coronary veins are not given its due importance unlike the arteries. It is being increasingly used in cardiothoracic surgeries and electrophysiological studies. Hence, the present study has been taken up to know the pattern of coronary venous anatomy and its relevance in the clinical field. The coronary sinus and its tributaries were studied by anatomical dissection in 25 adult human cadaveric hearts, which had been fixed in formalin solution. Coronary sinus was studied in relation to its location, length, and arteries accompanying it, tributaries and their variations. From the present study it has been found that the length of coronary sinus varies in between 2 cm to 5.5 cm. It was always located in the coronary sulcus, to the left of crus. It was accompanied by circumflex artery in half of the cases and also by right coronary in few. One specimen had middle cardiac vein directly opening into the right atrium. The great cardiac vein and middle cardiac vein was present in all specimens. In 64% of the hearts thebesian valve was membranous and crescentic. In 20% the ostium was valve less. This study highlights the importance of coronary venous anatomy. It is of relevance in catheterization of the coronary sinus for various procedures like in cardioplegia and electrophysiology.