We have located links that may give you full text access.
CASE REPORTS
JOURNAL ARTICLE
REVIEW
Intra-atrial course of the right coronary artery and its branches.
Canadian Journal of Cardiology 1994 March
OBJECTIVE: To illustrate and describe an anomaly of right coronary artery (RCA) course.
SETTING: Postmortem examination of cardiac tissue.
DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Three cases where the RCA had an intracavitary position in the right atrium are described. Additionally, light microscopic analysis of random sections of posterior right atrium from 100 consecutive autopsy cases was undertaken.
MAIN RESULTS: Each of the index cases was an incidental finding at autopsy. In two cases, the RCA, after passing the acute angle of the heart (epicardially), entered the right atrium posteriorly and ran subendocardially for distances of 1.5 and 3.0 cm, respectively. In the third case, the RCA entered the right atrial cavity 2.5 cm from its origin and ran subendocardially for 2.0 cm. In all three cases, the RCA exited the atrial cavity and once again attained an epicardial course. In the first two cases, the RCA ran 1.0 cm above the atrioventricular groove, rather than in its normal location at the annulus. The random sections of right atrial wall showed that medium calibre arterial branches of the RCA also commonly run in subendocardial positions (29 of 100 cases) and sometimes project into the atrial cavity (five of 29 cases).
CONCLUSIONS: The genesis of this epicardial coronary anomaly is unclear, but may relate to the 'higher' than normal course of the artery in these cases, in concert with the normal thinness of the right atrial wall, and the tendency for even medium calibre arteries to assume this subendocardial location. Despite the benign outcome of the index cases described here, the authors believe that this intracavitary course of the RCA could pose special technical problems during coronary artery catheterization and bypass grafting.
SETTING: Postmortem examination of cardiac tissue.
DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Three cases where the RCA had an intracavitary position in the right atrium are described. Additionally, light microscopic analysis of random sections of posterior right atrium from 100 consecutive autopsy cases was undertaken.
MAIN RESULTS: Each of the index cases was an incidental finding at autopsy. In two cases, the RCA, after passing the acute angle of the heart (epicardially), entered the right atrium posteriorly and ran subendocardially for distances of 1.5 and 3.0 cm, respectively. In the third case, the RCA entered the right atrial cavity 2.5 cm from its origin and ran subendocardially for 2.0 cm. In all three cases, the RCA exited the atrial cavity and once again attained an epicardial course. In the first two cases, the RCA ran 1.0 cm above the atrioventricular groove, rather than in its normal location at the annulus. The random sections of right atrial wall showed that medium calibre arterial branches of the RCA also commonly run in subendocardial positions (29 of 100 cases) and sometimes project into the atrial cavity (five of 29 cases).
CONCLUSIONS: The genesis of this epicardial coronary anomaly is unclear, but may relate to the 'higher' than normal course of the artery in these cases, in concert with the normal thinness of the right atrial wall, and the tendency for even medium calibre arteries to assume this subendocardial location. Despite the benign outcome of the index cases described here, the authors believe that this intracavitary course of the RCA could pose special technical problems during coronary artery catheterization and bypass grafting.
Full text links
Related Resources
Trending Papers
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: diagnosis, risk assessment, and treatment.Clinical Research in Cardiology : Official Journal of the German Cardiac Society 2024 April 12
Proximal versus distal diuretics in congestive heart failure.Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation 2024 Februrary 30
World Health Organization and International Consensus Classification of eosinophilic disorders: 2024 update on diagnosis, risk stratification, and management.American Journal of Hematology 2024 March 30
Efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapy in chronic insomnia: A review of clinical guidelines and case reports.Mental Health Clinician 2023 October
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.
By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
Your Privacy Choices
You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app