Coronary dominance patterns in the human heart investigated by corrosion casting.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this work was to analyze the dominance patterns of the circulation of the human heart, the number of branches from the right coronary artery to the left ventricle, the number of branches from the left coronary artery to the right ventricle and the frequency and location of intercoronary anastomoses. METHODS Casts were made of 25 hearts by the injection of colored acrylic resin and subsequent corrosion using hydrochloric acid at the experimental surgery laboratory of Furb. Specimens with lesions or scars were discarded. RESULTS The hearts, from both men (17 - 68%) and women (8 - 32%), had a mean age of 40.2 (15 to 70) years-old. Right dominance occurred in 18 (72%) subjects, with 1, 2, 3 and 4 branches leading to the left ventricle in 2, 14, 2 and 2 casts, respectively. Left dominance occurred in 5 (20%) with 1 branch leading to the right ventricle in 4 molds and 2 in one. Balanced circulation was observed in two molds (8%). There were significant differences between right and left dominance (alpha > 5%) and between right dominance and balanced circulation (alpha > 5%), however the same was not true between left dominance and balanced circulation (alpha < 5%). CONCLUSION The most common form of coronary circulation is right dominance with an average of 2.16 branches leading to the left ventricle: when dominance is left, the average is 1.2 branches. No intercoronary anastomoses were observed.