Valves of the small coronary veins in porcine hearts

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the existence of valves in small peripheral coronary veins of porcine hearts. The study was performed on 20 porcine hearts using standard histological methods. The veins in the subepicardial and intramyocardial regions of the anterior and posterior parts of the interventricular septum and in the wall of the right atrium were studied.Valves were present in intramyocardial veins (diameter of 75-180 μm), in the veins located just beneath the external surface of the myocardium (diameter 120-170 μm) and in the terminal segments of the ventricular veins (diameter 250 μm) opening into the stems of the anterior interventricular vein and middle cardiac vein. Valves were also recorded in most veins of the subepicardial space. The described rich presence of valves in the small coronary veins may contribute to a better comprehension of their hemodynamic properties. These findings may also help to improve the understanding of the efficacy of retrograde application of medications, a novel technique in cardiology and cardiac surgery. K E Y W O R D S porcine heart, small coronary veins, valves, histological analysis

Vascular supply of the anterior interventricular epicardial nerves and ventricular Purkinje fibers in the porcine hearts

“…This topic has been of interest to us in two previously conducted studies, one was oriented on the morphology of the vasa vasorum interna of the descending ramus of the left coronary artery (AIB) (Patzelt et al, 2019), and the other was devoted to the valves of the small coronary veins (Musil, Sach, Patzelt, Kachlik, & Stingl, 2019). In both studies, the histological specimens from the anterior interventricular region of the porcine hearts were analyzed using classical histological techniques as well as India ink injections.…”

Vasa nervorum of epicardial nerves and valves of small veins investigated in porcine heart by two types of vascular injections

“…In a further study (Musil, Sach, Patzelt, Kachlik, & Stingl, 2019), a large amount of histological material from the same specimens was analyzed, in which we found, predominantly in the anterior interventricular area and adjacent parts of the right and left ventricles, a large number of small valves both in the intramyocardial and epicardial veins. This finding was in fairly stark contrast with many recent studies, in which the prevailing opinion was that cardiac veins do not possess valves, with the exception of ostial valves, located at the openings of several of the largest ventricular veins into the AIV (Lüdinghausen, 1984; Noheria et al, 2013).…”

“…This is a technique that has been used for many years in cardiac surgery for administration of cardioplegia (Chitwood, 1992; Cordell, 1995; Mohl, Wolner, & Glogar, 1984). We attempted to answer the paradox of why this way of drug administration is practically 100% successful in the presence of the large quantity of valves in the cardiac veins, which should logically present a significant obstruction to retrograde flow (Lüdinghausen, 1987; Musil et al, 2019). In other words, do these valves really function so poorly that they do not present any significant obstruction to retrograde blood flow?…”