Variants of arterial supply to the inferior (diaphragmatic) surface of the ventricles of the heart and the influence on age at death.

Coronary artery systems of the inferior wall of the ventricles vary considerably. Schlesinger's concept distinguishes dominance of the right or left coronary artery (LCA) or balanced type. LCA dominance has been reported to be associated with increased mortality. Early angiography studies have shown that the anterior interventricular artery (AIVA), a branch of the LCA, often continues on the inferior surface of the heart and may replace the inferior interventricular artery. Others considered an AIVA on the inferior surface of the heart a rare variant. A long AIVA is a strong predictor of death in acute anterior wall myocardial infarction. We determined coronary artery variance at the inferior surface of the ventricles in 134 dissected human hearts and analyzed a possible association between coronary artery variance and age at death. The AIVA extended to the inferior side in 64.9% of the hearts, but rarely reached the basal half of the inferior interventricular groove. Most frequently (53%), it extended into the apical two-fifths of the length of the inferior ventricular walls. An AIVA extending to the apical 40% of the length of the inferior ventricular walls may therefore be considered a common variant. In 20.1% of the hearts, a right inferior diagonal artery was also found. Statistical analysis neither revealed an association between mean AIVA length at the inferior ventricular surface and type of coronary artery dominance nor an association between AIVA length at the inferior ventricular surface or coronary artery dominance type and age at death.