A morphometric study on cadaveric aortic arch and its major branches in 25 korean adults : the perspective of endovascular surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To understand the anatomic characteristics of the aortic arch (AA) and its major branches to build a foundation toward performing endovascular surgery safely.


METHODS
A total of 25 formalin fixed Korean adult cadavers were used. The authors investigated : anatomical variations of the AA and its major branches; curvature of the AA; distance from the mid-vertebrae line to the origin of the major branches; distances from the origin of the major branches of AA to the origin of its distal branches; and the angle of the three major branches, the brachiocephalic trunk (BCT), the left common carotid artery (LCCA) and the left subclavian artery (LSCA) arising from AA.


RESULTS
The three major branches directly originated from AA in 21 (84%) of the cadavers. In two (8%) of remaining four cadavers, orifice of LCCA was slightly above the stem of BCT. In remaining two (8%) cadavers, the left vertebral artery (LVA) was directly originated from AA. Average angle of AA curvature to the coronal plane was 62.2 degrees. BCT originated 0.92 mm on the right of the mid-vertebrae line. LCCA and LSCA originated from 12.3 mm and 22.8 mm on the left of the mid-vertebrae line. Mean distance from the origin of the BCT to the origin of the RCCA was 32.5 mm. Mean distance from the origin of the LSCA to the origin of the LVA was 33.8 mm. Average angles at which the major branches arise from the AA were 65.3, 46.9 and 63.8 degrees.


CONCLUSIONS
This study may provides a basic anatomical information to catheterize AA and its branches for safely performing endovascular surgery.
Shin
Il-Young
IY
Department of Neurosurgery , Korea University Anam Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Chung
Yong-Gu
YG
Shin
Won-Han
WH
Im
Soo-Bin
SB
Hwang
Sun-Chul
SC
Kim
Bum-Tae
BT