Absence of circumflex artery with superdominant right coronary: a classic anatomical dissection study.

PURPOSE: We report a very unusual case of variant coronary artery anatomy, discovered during anatomical dissection in a medical school.

METHODS

The heart from a very advanced age donor was dissected using classic anatomical techniques

RESULTS

The right coronary artery showed a superdominant pattern, extending beyond the crux of the heart and circling the atrioventricular groove almost completely. It followed the usual path of the absent circumflex artery, and ended as a slender branch which almost reached the origin of the anterior interventricular artery.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, these are the first reported dissection images of this kind of coronary artery variation. It may have clinical consequences, either leading to more accelerated atherosclerotic changes or causing technical difficulties during cardiac surgery.