Relationship between length of the left main coronary artery and heart weight.

Abstract

The length of the left main coronary artery (LMA) was determined in post-mortem, non-fixed hearts of normal weight (heart weight less than 400 g, group I) and hypertrophic hearts (heart weight greater than or equal to 400 g, group II). Hearts from 76 men and 88 women in group I and 136 men and 61 women in group II were studied. The mean length of LMA in group I was 9.1 mm in men and 8.4 mm in women. Corresponding values in group II were 10.3 mm and 8.8 mm. There was no significant sex difference in the length of LMA in group I, but the sex difference in group II was significant (p less than 0.01). The difference in length of LMA between groups I and II reveals that the difference in men was significant ( less than 0.02), but insignificant in women. In the case of both sexes no significant correlation between heart weight and the length of LMA was found either in group I or group II. There was a significant correlation between the area of the left coronary ostium and the length of LMA in men in group I (p less than 0.05), but not in women. Corresponding comparisons of both sexes in group II were statistically insignificant.