A coronary computed tomography angiography study on anatomical characteristics of the diagonal branch of anterior interventricular artery

• Published in: Folia morphologica 2023-01, Vol.82 (4), p.822-829
• Main Authors: Zhang, D.-Q., Xu, Y.-F., Dong, Y.-P., Yu, S.-J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Angiography; Computed tomography; Coronary artery; Coronary vessels; Medical imaging; Statistical analysis; Tomography; Veins & arteries
• ISSN: 0015-5659; 1644-3284
• DOI: 10.5603/FM.a2022.0100

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the anatomical characteristics of the ramusintermedius (RI) and its correlation with the proximal diameter of the branchvessels of the left coronary artery (LCA) using coronary computed tomographyangiography (CCTA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We screened patients who underwent CCTA from Januaryto September 2021 and randomly enrolled 267 with RI (RI group) and 134without RI (control group). We evaluated the anatomical features of RI (distribution,proximal diameter, length). We measured the proximal diameter of the anteriorinterventricular branch of the left coronary artery (LAD) and the circumflex branchof the left coronary artery (LCX). We compared the differences between groupsin the proximal diameter of LAD and LCX and the correlation between genderand each parameter of the LCA (LAD, LCX, RI) within the RI group. In addition,we compared the correlation between the distribution characteristics of RI andthe proximal diameter of LAD and LCX within the RI group. RESULTS: The LAD and LCX proximal diameters in the RI group were significantlysmaller than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Comparisons within the RIgroup showed the following results: the RI distribution, RI diameter and length,and the LCX proximal diameter were not significantly different between maleand female patients (p > 0.05), and the LAD proximal diameter was significantlylarger in male than in female patients (p < 0.05). There were statistically significantdifferences in the LAD and LCX proximal diameters between the differentRI distribution groups (p < 0.05). Based on the pairwise comparison, there weresignificant differences in the LAD (LCX) proximal diameter between the RI-beside--the-LAD (LCX) group and the RI-middle group, as well as between the RI-beside--the-LAD (LCX) group and the RI-beside-the-LCX (LAD) group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A CCTA accurately evaluated the anatomical characteristics of anRI, which has an impact on the proximal diameter of the branch vessels of theLCA (i.e. LAD and LCX), the degree of influence of which is correlated with theRI distribution.