Anatomy of the coronary circulation in living man. Coronary arteriography.

The in vivo radiographic anatomy of the coronary arteries has been investigated in man with selective catheterization techniques and cine coronary arteriography. No significant difference was expected and none was found between the anatomy observed in living man and that described by others from post-mortem studies. On the other hand, the opportunity of studying the vessels in motion, within the chest cavity, in various standardized radiographic projections offers certain advantages, helpful in the recognition of the individual branches and their relationship to the surrounding structures. The unique superiority of antemortem versus post-mortem studies rests, however, on the primary feature of coronary angiography, namely its diagnostic and prognostic implications for the individual case under study. The present work offers a systemic view of this subject based on the authors' experience of over 2,500 clinical coronary opacifications.