Anglographic functional characterization of the coronary sinus.
BACKGROUND
Coronary sinus is a venous conduit with dynamic and unclear function with regard to coronary circulation.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the dynamic changes of the coronary sinus during the cardiac cycle.


METHODS
The angiographic feature of the coronary sinus was evaluated in 30 patients undergoing diagnostic and therapeutic coronary angiography.


RESULTS
Prolonged angiographic imaging following coronary injections permitted accurate demonstration of the coronary sinus in all 30 patients. We report, for the first time, that the coronary sinus can be divided into two angiographic functional/anatomic portions, upper and lower. The lower part is prone to a highly dynamic contraction/relaxation pattern, observed in 12 of the 30 patients, while 10 patients had normal and 8 had low contractile pattern on angiography. Clinical assessment of these patients did not identify an association with this motion pattern.


CONCLUSIONS
The coronary sinus is an important anatomic/functional structure that should be further investigated in patients with various forms of heart disease.
Krakover
Ricardo
R
Interventional Cardiology Unit, Department of Cardiology, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel. rkrakover@asaf.health.gov.il
Blatt
Alexander
A
Hendler
Alberto
A
Zisman
Itzchak
I
Reicher
Meir
M
Gurevich
Josef
J
Peleg
Eliahu
E
Vered
Zvi
Z
Kaluski
Edo
E
D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged