title: [Anatomic variations of the coronary arteries].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the coronary arteries and their main branches showing the aspects of source, trajectory and anastomoses of these vessels at the subepicardial level.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out on 110 adult human hearts, of both sexes, fixed in 10% formaldehyde solution. The pericardium was removed to expose the coronary arteries and their branches at the subepicardial level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 38.18% of the cases the left coronary artery presented a trifurcation into anterior interventricular, circunflex and left marginal branches (35.70%) and into anterior interventricular, circunflex and lateral branches (64.30%). In 60% of the hearts examined, the left coronary artery presented a bifurcation into anterior interventricular and circunflex branches. In 1.82% of the cases these two branches arise directly from the aorta. An anastomosis, at the subepicardial level, between the anterior and posterior interventricular branches was observed in 56.36% of the hearts. In 88.18% the posterior interventricular branch arised from the right coronary artery, whereas in 11.82% this vessel arises from the circunflex branch. Anastomoses between the right coronary artery and the circunflex branch were found in 10% of the hearts (crux cordis). The dominance of the right coronary artery was present in 69.09% of the cases, of the left coronary artery in 11.82% and in 19.09% of the hearts had balanced distribution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The coronary arteries and their main branches present a great quantity of variations with regard to source, trajectory and anastomoses. This knowledge is important for the interpretation of coronary angiography and surgical myocardial revascularization.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Cavalcanti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Lucena Oliveira
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Pais e Melo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Balaban
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: de Andrade Oliveira
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Lucena Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001163:Arteriovenous Anastomosis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
vernacular_title: Contribuição ao estudo das variações anatômicas das artérias coronárias.