Coronary artery dimensions in normal Indians

BACKGROUND: Diameter of coronary artery is an important predictor of outcome after percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgery. There is very limited data available about coronary artery dimensions in an Indian population. AIMS: To study the normal dimensions of the coronary artery segments in Indians without coronary artery disease by using quantitative coronary angiography and also to compare the dimensions in Indians with Western. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 229 patients who have undergone coronary angiography with entirely normal coronary angiogram were included in our study. RESULTS: This study showed the diameter of vessels in males and females when taken together the left main was larger in size followed by proximal LAD, proximal RCA & proximal LCX respectively (4.08 ± 0.44 mm, 3.27 ± 0.23 mm, 3.20 ± 0.37 mm, 2.97 ± 0.37 mm).When the vessel diameter was indexed to body surface area there was no statistical difference between male and female (p value > 0.05). The computed value of proximal coronary artery diameter unadjusted for individual body surface area, when compared to Caucasians showed that Caucasians have larger coronary artery dimensions than Indians. But when the proximal vessel diameter was indexed to body surface area there was no statistical significant difference between Indians and Caucasians (p value > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We found that coronary artery size when indexed to body surface area is not statistically different in Indian males and females and compared to Caucasians. However with a smaller body habitus Indians have smaller coronary arteries.