Quantification of Coronary Arterial Narrowing in Autopsy Cases

Abstract

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of human mortality and morbidity in the world and has been a matter of great concern for continuing research and its management. The principle cause of CAD worldwide is coronary atherosclerosis. Various studies conducted globally have revealed marked variations in incidence and extent of CAD. The initiation of the atherosclerotic process starts at a very tender age in the aorta; however the clinical presentations and manifestations are seen later on. The basic pathological process involved in CAD is stenosis of the coronary lumen which is quantified in living patients by coronary angiography. The present study quantifies the coronary luminal stenosis with the help of necropsy histo-pathological study in autopsy cases which has distinct advantage of being able to measure cross-sectional area of the artery concerned. The findings of present study with relation to defining and quantifying the coronary artery dia and cross-sectional area in necropsy specimens of an Indian population will be discussed in this paper.