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Updated: May 18, 2026

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

Coronary venous retention-a feature in heart failure as evidenced by mean of cardiac computed tomography

Agnieszka Mlynarska1, Rafal Mlynarski, Maciej Sosnowski

  • 1Department of Electrocardiology, Upper-Silesian Medical Center, Katowice, Poland. agnieszkawlodyka@o2.pl

Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology : PACE
|October 6, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Heart failure is linked to more coronary veins, suggesting cardiac venous retention. This study used CT imaging to explore anatomical changes in the coronary venous system in heart failure patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Medical Imaging
  • Vascular Anatomy

Background:

  • The influence of cardiac functional status on the coronary venous system remains unexplored.
  • Multislice computed tomography (CT) imaging was employed to investigate this relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if heart failure (HF) is associated with significant anatomical alterations in the coronary venous system.
  • Investigating the link between reduced ejection fraction and coronary venous structure.

Main Methods:

  • 136 patients underwent 64-slice CT scans, categorized by ejection fraction.
  • Three-dimensional (3D) volume rendering reconstructions were created using electrocardiographic-gating.
  • Coronary vein visualization was graded by two independent experts on a 0-5 scale.

Main Results:

  • A higher average number of visible coronary veins (CVs) was observed in the heart failure group (3.44) compared to patients with normal ejection fraction (2.72).
  • A statistically significant correlation (r = -0.2446, P < 0.05) was found between reduced ejection fraction and an increased number of coronary veins.
  • Specific target veins (posterolateral and lateral) relevant for cardiac resynchronization therapy were identified in common venous system variants.

Conclusions:

  • The increased number of coronary veins in heart failure patients suggests a potential association with cardiac venous retention.
  • Findings may have implications for understanding the pathophysiology of heart failure and guiding therapeutic interventions.
Abstract

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