ANATOMICAL AND TOPOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF THE LEFT CORONARY ARTERY OF THE HEART OF A MAINE COON CAT

Abstract

The heart is the central and regulatory organ of the cardiovascular system, the study of the morphology of its bloodstream in humane and veterinary medicine is an important aspect for further diagnosis, prevention and treatment of heart pathologies. In all studied species, the heart is supplied with blood by the right and left coronary arteries, which, according to the species and breed features of the structure, can differ in the degree of their development. The study of the main branches of the coronary arteries and branches of the first and second order, together with their functional significance in the blood supply of a particular structure of the heart, is a topical area in modern veterinary morphology. The purpose of the study is to study the anatomical and topographic patterns of the left coronary artery of the heart of a Maine Coon cat. The object for the study was the corpses of Maine Coon cats at the age of three to five years. In total, five corpses of animals were studied, of which three cats (male) and two cats (females). The following research methods were used: fine anatomical preparation and making casts of heart vessels using Flexstep latex milk. In the course of the study, it was found that the blood supply to the heart of a Maine Coon cat occurs due to the right and left coronary arteries, the latter of which is dominant, from which it follows that this breed of cats has a left-coronal type of blood supply. In the region of the coronary sulcus, anastomotic branches depart from the branches of the left coronary artery, thanks to which the collateral path of blood supply to the heart of the Maine Coon cat closes. The interventricular septum of the heart is supplied with blood by the interventricular branch extending from the left coronary artery.