Epicardial branches of the coronary arteries and their distribution in the rabbit heart: The rabbit heart as a model of regional ischemia

• Published in: The Anatomical record 1997-04, Vol.247 (4), p.521-527
• Main Authors: Podesser, B., Wollenek, G., Seitelberger, R., Siegel, H., Wolner, E., Firbas, W., Tschabitscher, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: anatomy; Animals; coronary arteries; Coronary Vessels - anatomy & histology; Corrosion Casting; Disease Models, Animal; Male; Myocardial Ischemia; rabbit; Rabbits; stunning
• ISSN: 0003-276X; 1097-0185
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0185(199704)247:4<521::AID-AR11>3.0.CO;2-R

Background The rabbit heart has been frequently used to study regional ischemia, but there is hardly any detailed information on the epicardial branching of the coronary arteries. Therefore, we wanted to determine whether there is a constant branching pattern and how comparable this pattern is with the human heart. Methods We investigated epicardial branching of the coronary arteries in 30 adult rabbit hearts. For vessel visualisation, we used injections of Technovit, followed by corrosion. Results We found that there is not one constant pattern but rather a bifurcation or a trifurcation of the arteria coronaria sinistra (15 of 15 hearts). The left coronary artery is always the dominant artery; a vessel comparable to the human ramus interventricularis anterior is rarely found in the bifurcation type. The ramus circumflexus is a constant but minor branch of the posterior or posterolateral division and does not originate directly from the main stem of the left coronary artery, as it does in humans. As a consequence, ligation of the left ramus interventricularis anterior leads to severe ischemic injury only where trifurcation exists (50% of our population). A ligation of the ramus circumflexus proximal to its origin produces a large posterolateral infarction in the bifurcation type (50% of our population). Conclusions Because a defined ischemic area is difficult to reproduce under these anatomical conditions, the rabbit heart may be a model only for regional ischemia if the investigator is knowledgeable about the distributions of the coronary arteries. Anat. Rec. 247:521–527, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.