Abstract:

Objective To describe the normal and variant anatomy of the coronary artery ostia in Chinese subjects, and to provide data reference for coronary angiography and intervention. Methods Fifty-five heart specimens were dissected. The number of ostia and their positions within the respective sinuses were observed. Vertical and circumferential deviations of the ostia were observed. The heights of the cusps, the ostia and sinutubular ridge from the bottom of aortic sinus were measured and recorded, analyzed and reported the result . Results The number of openings in the aortic sinuses varied from 2-5 in the present series; multiple ostia were mostly seen in the anterior sinus. The majority of the ostia was below the sinutubular ridge (94.5%) and at or above the level of the cusps (80%). No openings were present in the pulmonary sinuses and posterior aortic sinus. There were high openings in 5 specimens, which were higher than the sinutubular junction. Conclusion Most of the coronary openings are located in the right aortic sinus or left aortic sinus, above the cusps and below sinutubular ridge. Some mutations, such as multiple openings, longitudinal or circumferential positional shifts, and slit-like openings can cause difficulties in interpreting images, and adversely affect clinical operations such as angiography, angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting.

Key words: Aortic cusp, Aortic sinus, Coronary ostium, Sinutubular ridge, Anatomical measurement, Human