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Aneurysm of the great cardiac vein

  • Anatomic Variations
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Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Anatomical variations in the cardiac veins have the potential to cause iatrogenic injuries during cardiac surgical procedures or cardiac resynchronization therapy. We present a case of an 86-year-old man, which presented with a great cardiac vein aneurysm. The great cardiac vein arose near the apex of the interventricular sulcus to the right of the anterior interventricular branch (AIB) of the left coronary artery and crossed the AIB anteriorly to the left. The great cardiac vein aneurysm appeared to be due to a possible distal constriction of the great cardiac vein by a small muscular branch of the circumflex branch and a possible proximal constriction by the left marginal artery. Cardiologists who interpret imaging of the cardiac veins and cardiac surgeons who operate close to the great cardiac vein should be aware of such a variation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies

    Marios Loukas & Robert Jordan

  2. Department of Education and Development, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Marios Loukas

  3. Department of Cell Biology and Pediatric Neurosurgery, University of Birmingham Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

Authors
  1. Marios Loukas
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  2. R. Shane Tubbs
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  3. Robert Jordan
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Correspondence to Marios Loukas.

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Loukas, M., Tubbs, R.S. & Jordan, R. Aneurysm of the great cardiac vein. Surg Radiol Anat 29, 169–172 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-006-0176-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-006-0176-y

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