Interarterial Coronary Anastomoses in Relation to Arterial Obstruction Demonstrated in Coronary Arteriography

Abstract

Coronary arteriograms of 100 patients with advanced obstructive lesions of the coronary arteries were analyzed with special emphasis on evaluating the interarterial anastomoses. The incidence and anatomic location of these collateral arterial pathways is described and related to the location of obstructions within the coronary arterial tree. Collaterals within the interventricular septum are almost universally due to this area's rich vascularization by branches from both coronary arteries. Other collaterals are frequently present, many of them at the epicardial surface of the heart. Location and extent of obstructive changes in the coronary arteries was related to the development of certain collateral pathways. The number of different collaterals present per patient was higher in grops with multiple obstructed coronary arteries than among patients with single areas of obstruction.