A Study Of Posterior Interventricular Artery In Adult Human Cadaveric Hearts

ABSTRACT

Background: Posterior interventricular artery (PIVA), usually a branch of right coronary artery supplies both theventricles and the posterior 1/3rd of the interventricular septum. In some cases, PIVA can also arise from the leftcoronary artery. Origin of posterior interventricular artery determines the cardiac dominance. The present studyis aimed to assess the cardiac dominance by assessing the number, origin and termination of the posteriorinterventricular artery in the human cadaveric hearts. The blood supply of the inferior myocardium depends onthe dominance. Hence the awareness of these variations plays an important role in treating the inferior wallinfarcts.Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in the Department of Anatomy, Sree Mookambika Institute ofMedical Sciences. A total of 112 adult human cadaveric hearts were collected and the parameters such as thenumber, origin and the termination of the posterior interventricular artery were noted.Results and Discussion: In the present study, the PIVA is seen in all the hearts. Out of 112 cases, the right coronarydominance was seen in 94 cases (84%), and left coronary dominance was seen in 18 cases (16%). And the levelof termination of PIVA is more, ie; 42 out of 112 specimens (37.5%) are ½ way down the PIVS.Conclusion: Coronary artery disease is one of the major causes of death in developing countries. The advanceddiagnostic and therapeutic interventional procedures necessitate the sound knowledge of the coronary arterypattern. Prognosis of inferior wall infarcts are related to coronary dominance. So the study of PIVA may behelpful in coronary artery angiography and bypass surgeries.