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Anatomical Reconstructions of the Human Cardiac Venous System using Contrast-computed Tomography of Perfusion-fixed Specimens
06:02

Anatomical Reconstructions of the Human Cardiac Venous System using Contrast-computed Tomography of Perfusion-fixed Specimens

Published on: April 18, 2013

Anatomical variants of coronary venous system on cardiac computed tomography

Rafal Mlynarski1, Agnieszka Mlynarska, Maciej Sosnowski

  • 1Upper-Silesian Medical Center, Electrocardiology Department, Katowice 40-635, ul Ziolowa 45/47, Poland. Rafal_Mlynarski@mp.pl

Circulation Journal : Official Journal of the Japanese Circulation Society
|January 19, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) reveals significant anatomical variability in the coronary venous system (CVS). This imaging technique is valuable for visualizing CVS variants before cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implantation.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Imaging
  • Anatomical Pathology
  • Medical Technology

Background:

  • The coronary venous system (CVS) exhibits considerable anatomical variability, though its variants are not fully analyzed.
  • Understanding CVS anatomy is crucial for interventional cardiovascular procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the anatomical variants of the coronary venous system (CVS) using multislice computed tomography (MSCT).
  • To assess the feasibility of visualizing target veins for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) via MSCT.

Main Methods:

  • 199 patients underwent 64-slice computed tomography with electrocardiogram-gating and 0.5mm slice thickness.
  • 3D volume rendering and 2D multi-planar reformatted reconstructions of the CVS were generated.
  • Specific target veins for CRT (posterolateral, lateral, anterolateral) were identified.

Main Results:

  • The coronary sinus was visualized in all patients.
  • A total of 27 CVS anatomical variants were identified, with 9 common variants occurring in 74.4% of cases.
  • The number of target veins for CRT varied, with at least one vein present in most patients; however, 3.0% had no veins in the target area.

Conclusions:

  • The majority of patients had at least one target vein for CRT visualized.
  • MSCT is effective in demonstrating CVS anatomical variability, supporting its role in pre-CRT planning.
Abstract

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