This article appears in the following Europace issue: Spotlight Issue: Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy [View the issue table of contents]
The anatomy of the coronary sinus venous system for the cardiac electrophysiologist
1 Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA; 2 Department of Anatomy, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA; 3 Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street Southwest, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; 4 Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street Southwest, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
Cardiac electrophysiologists’ use of the coronary sinus (CS) to map and ablate accessory pathways and implant left ventricular leads has emphasized the need for understanding CS anatomy. In this review, we briefly examine the developmental and radiological anatomy of the CS and discuss in detail the gross anatomy of this cardiac vein. We highlight the correlations of the acquired anatomical knowledge relevant to clinical electrophysiology practice.
Key Words: Coronary sinus, Cardiac veins
* Corresponding author. Tel: +1 507 255 2440, Fax: +1 507 255 2550, Email: asirvatham.samuel{at}mayo.edu