Anatomical study of length and branching pattern of main trunk of the left coronary artery
O Pereira da Costa Sobrinho1, J Dantas de Lucena2, R Silva Pessoa1
1Federal University of Ceará, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Morphology, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Insights
This study analyzed left coronary artery anatomy in Brazil, finding trifurcation is the most common branching pattern. Longer main trunks correlate with trifurcation and tetrafurcation, offering insights for cardiac professionals.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Anatomy
- Human Anatomy
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The left coronary artery is vital for irrigating key cardiac structures.
- Understanding its morphological variations is crucial for clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the morphological characteristics of the left coronary artery main trunk in the Brazilian population.
- To investigate the clinical implications of these anatomical variations.
Main Methods:
- Dissection and analysis of 63 adult human hearts from Brazil.
- Statistical analysis of collected morphological data, including trunk length and branching patterns.
Main Results:
- The left coronary artery main trunk originated from the left aortic sinus in all specimens.
- The mean trunk length was 8.53±4.03mm, with 78% classified as medium-sized.
- Trifurcation (52.38%) was the most common branching pattern, and longer trunks were significantly associated with trifurcation and tetrafurcation compared to bifurcation.
Conclusions:
- A significant correlation exists between the branching pattern and the length of the left coronary artery main trunk.
- The prevalence of trifurcation as the dominant pattern offers new data for cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, and radiology professionals in Brazil.
Abstract:
The left coronary artery is responsible for the irrigation of important heart structures. The objective of this study was to analyze the morphological characteristics of the main trunk of left coronary artery in the Brazilian population and its clinical implications. The study was carried out by using 63 adult human hearts of the human anatomy laboratory of the Federal university of Ceará, Brazil. The hearts were dissected for exposure and analysis of the left coronary artery and its branches. The data collected were statistically analyzed. The main trunk arose from the left aortic sinus under the left atrial auricle in all the 63 hearts. The mean length of the main trunk was 8.53±4.03mm. According to the criteria for the classification of the main trunk length, about 78% were medium-sized. The majority of the hearts (52.38%) showed trifurcation of the main trunk. Anova test followed by the Tukey's post hoc test showed that the main trunk length of hearts with trifurcation was significantly longer when compared with hearts with bifurcation (9.77±4.31mm vs. 6.44±3.01mm; P=0.0029). Similar findings were observed in the main trunk length of the hearts with tetrafurcation in comparison with hearts with bifurcation (10.78±1.4mm vs. 6.44±3.01mm; P=0.0387). This study showed that there is a correlation between the branching pattern and the length of the main trunk. Additionally, we showed that the most common branching pattern of the main trunk is the trifurcation, differing from other Brazilian studies and providing additional information to professionals of cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, and radiology.
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