Injection corrosion fluorescence in the study of human coronary arterial anastomoses

The author studied 50 human hearts from individuals aged between 5 and 60 yr. A polyethylene catheter was intoduced into the coronary ostia, and then a green substance was injected into the right coronary artery and a red one into the left coronary artery. The injection was made with a constant pressure of 120 mm Hg. This method (injecton-corrosion-fluorescence) enabled the observation of arterial anastomoses in the coronary circulation. Superficial anastomoses were seen in the anterior and posterior walls of the ventricles, in the apex and in the crux. Some deep anastomoses were observed in the interventricular septum and in the subendocardial regions of both ventricles.