Topologic and Hemodynamic Characteristics of the Human Coronary Arterial Circulation

BACKGROUND: Many processes contributing to the functional and structural regulation of the coronary circulation have been identified. A proper understanding of the complex interplay of these processes requires a quantitative systems approach that includes the complexity of the coronary network. The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed quantification of the branching characteristics and local hemodynamics of the human coronary circulation. METHODS: The coronary arteries of a human heart were filled post-mortem with fluorescent replica material. The frozen heart was alternately cut and block-face imaged using a high-resolution imaging cryomicrotome. From the resulting 3D reconstruction of the left coronary circulation, topological (node and loop characteristics), topographic (diameters and length of segments), and geometric (position) properties were analyzed, along with predictions of local hemodynamics (pressure and flow). RESULTS: The reconstructed left coronary tree consisted of 202,184 segments with diameters ranging from 30 μm to 4 mm. Most segments were between 100 μm and 1 mm long. The median segment length was similar for diameters ranging between 75 and 200 μm. 91% of the nodes were bifurcations. These bifurcations were more symmetric and less variable in smaller vessels. Most of the pressure drop occurred in vessels between 200 μm and 1 mm in diameter. Downstream conductance variability affected neither local pressure nor median local flow and added limited extra variation of local flow. The left coronary circulation perfused 358 cm(3) of myocardium. Median perfused volume at a truncation level of 100 to 200 μm was 20 mm(3) with a median perfusion of 5.6 ml/min/g and a high local heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: This study provides the branching characteristics and hemodynamic analysis of the left coronary arterial circulation of a human heart. The resulting model can be deployed for further hemodynamic studies at the whole organ and local level.