Abstract
IntroductionIn spite of its importance as an experimental model, the information on the great cardiac vein in pigs is sparse.ObjectiveTo determine the morphologic characteristics of the great cardiac vein and its tributaries in pigs.Methods120 hearts extracted from pigs destined to the slaughterhouse with stunning method were studied. This descriptive cross-over study evaluated continuous variables with T test and discrete variables with Pearson χ square test. A level of significance P<0.05 was used. The great cardiac vein and its tributaries were perfused with polyester resin (85% Palatal and 15% Styrene) and then subjected to potassium hydroxide infusion to release the subepicardial fat. Calibers were measured, and trajectories and relations with adjacent arterial structures were evaluated.ResultsThe origin of the great cardiac vein was observed at the heart apex in 91 (76%) hearts. The arterio-venous trigone was present in 117 (97.5%) specimens, corresponding to the open expression in its lower segment and to the closed expression in the upper segment in the majority of the cases (65%). The caliber of the great cardiac vein at the upper segment of the paraconal interventricular sulcus was 3.73±0.79 mm. An anastomosis between the great cardiac vein and the middle cardiac vein was found in 59 (49%) specimens.Conclusion The morphological and biometric characteristics of the great cardiac vein and its tributaries had not been reported in prior studies, and due to their similitude with those of the human heart, allows us to propose the pig model for procedural and hemodynamic applications.
Highlights
In spite of its importance as an experimental model, the information on the great cardiac vein in pigs is sparse
The great cardiac vein (GCV) in humans drains into the coronary sinus (CS), the territories irrigated by the left coronary artery (LCA)
The configuration of the arterio-venous trigone of the heart (AVT) of the heart determined by the relation of the GCV with the branches of the LCA, paraconal interventricular branch (PIB) and circumflex branch (CxB) were classified according to Pejkovic & Bogdanovic[10] criteria; as opened in its lower segment and closed in its upper segment; both lower and upper opened; both lower and upper closed; lower closed and upper opened
Summary
In spite of its importance as an experimental model, the information on the great cardiac vein in pigs is sparse. The great cardiac vein (GCV) in humans drains into the coronary sinus (CS), the territories irrigated by the left coronary artery (LCA) This vein originates at the lower third of the anterior interventricular sulcus (AIS) or even at the heart apex, and continues its course along said sulcus in parallel to the anterior interventricular branch (AIB) to the upper portion of that artery[4,5,6,7,8]. It crosses to the left until it reaches the left atrioventricular sulcus (LAVS) forming the basis of the arterio-venous trigone of the heart (AVT) together with the AIB and the circumflex branch (CxB). The expression of the open AVT in its lower segment and closed AVT in the upper segment have been reported as most frequent (50-73%)[5,8,14,16]
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