A Study of Coronary Dominance in the Population of Assam

With the ever increasing load of coronary heart disease, an in-depth study of the coronary arteries has been felt by the medical fraternity. Coronary arteries show wide variations among different populations. These region based variations have not been dealt with enough in the standard books. The knowledge of these variations are of paramount importance when considering various surgical interventions. This study therefore aims to focus on the pattern of coronary dominance in Assam which is ethnically unique from the rest of India. Seventy cadaveric hearts were studied. The population under study included the population of Assam. The coronary arteries were examined by gross dissection and analyzed statistically. The modes of termination of the right coronary artery and the circumflex artery were described with the help of five points: at the right border, between the right border and the crux, at the crux, between the crux and the left border and at the left border. Origin of the posterior interventricular artery was taken as the basis of dominance. Right dominance was found in 70%, left dominance was found in 18.57% while balanced pattern was observed in 11.43% hearts. The results of the study were compared with other authors and variations were noted.