Comprehensive Review of Coronary Artery Anatomy Relevant to Cardiac Surgery

Abstract

In order to perform safe cardiac surgery, a knowledge of applied coronary artery anatomy and its variants is essential for cardiac surgeons. In normal individuals, the right and the left coronary arteries arise from the corresponding sinuses of Valsalva within the aortic root. From the cardiac surgical perspective, the coronary artery is divided into the left main coronary artery, its branches (the left anterior descending artery and the circumflex artery), and the right coronary artery. With high-risk cardiac surgeries, including redo procedures, becoming increasingly performed, abnormal courses and variations of the coronary arteries, if not recognized, can predispose the patient to avoidable coronary injuries, resulting in adverse outcomes of cardiac surgical procedures. We aim to describe normal and applied coronary anatomy, common coronary artery variants previously reported, and their clinical relevance to both adult and paediatric cardiac surgery.

Keywords: Right coronary artery; coronary anatomy.; coronary artery variants; coronary collaterals; dominant circulation; left coronary artery.