Variation in length and termination of the right coronary artery in man.

The length and termination of the right coronary artery of the human heart were studied in 81 hearts, after injection of a colored substance containing a radiopaque medium. The hearts were radiographed, dissected, drawn and photographed. The long type of right coronary artery, defined as a branch that reached or ran distal to the crux cordis, was found to be much more frequent (88.8%) than the short type and terminated in the majority of the cases (71.6%) as one of the posterior branches of the left ventricle. The relationship between these findings and the so-called "coronary circulation dominance" is discussed.