Observations on the vascular pattern of the septum of normal and hypertrophied human hearts.

Abstract

The arterial vascular pattern of the myocardium of the interventricular septum of normal and hypertrophied human hearts was studied by post-mortem injection of a radio-opaque medium, Colourpaque, and the taking of microradiographs of transverse ventricular slices using the immersion technique. There were large penetrating septal arteries arising from the anterior and posterior descending coronary arteries. The arterial vascular pattern on each side of the septum closely resembled the respective patterns in the right and left ventricular free walls. In the hypertrophied hearts the branching and straight type arteries were of smaller calibre compared to normal hearts and were smallest in the greatly hypertrophied hearts and hearts with asymmetrical left ventricular hypertrophy. The role of the septal intercoronary anastomosis in coronary artery disease is discussed.