Morphometry of the coronary artery and heart microcirculation in infants.
Knowledge of morphometric quantities of coronary arteries in infants is an  increasingly vital component in managing congenital and acquired heart disease.  Because of considerable heterogeneity of coronary vasculature, what is  considered atypical and aberrant or insignificant anatomy is often unclear. The  purpose of our present study is to define normal infant anatomy. This was  done by focusing on the segment analysis of coronary arteries in infants. Segment  analysis was used to define an accurate definition of the length and  diameter of the coronary network. The lengths, widths, and numbers of collateral  branches of the coronary arteries were measured. The coronary vessels of  40 infant hearts were visualised postmortem by injection of the coronary arteries  with X-ray opaque dye for the imaging study. Also, black ink cast and silver  impregnation specimens were studied. The longest segment of the circumflex  branches of left coronary arteries was the second; the lengths were 9066.6 ±  ± 1828 μm. The length of I, III, and IV were 7366 ± 378.7 μm, 7536.6 ±  ± 1533.8 μm, 4476.6 ± 690.9 μm, respectively. The lengths of the circumflex  branch of the coronary artery were longer than that of the others; it is joined  with the anterior interventricular branch of the coronary artery in the dorsal  wall of the left ventricle. Rates of branching and ramification were low, and  the number of lateral branches was low.
Department of Anatomy, University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. avirmed_baba@yahoo.com
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Avirmed
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Auyrzana
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Nyamsurendejid
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Tumenjin
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Enebish
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Amgalanbaatar
D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D011859:Radiography