Morphometry of the Great Cardiac Vein in Cadaveric Hearts of South Indian Origin

Introduction In recent years, rapid developments in procedures like cardiac pacing, targeted drug therapy, and trans coronary venous ablation have necessitated a need for a detailed study of cardiac venous anatomy. Because the number, diameter, and course of the coronary veins vary, extensive information on the patient's specific anatomy is required for the best planning of the treatment. With this background, we planned the current research to analyze the anatomy of the great cardiac vein (GCV) in terms of length and diameter, provide a formula for calculating diameter using linear regression analysis and report the frequency of formation of the triangle of Brocq and Mouchet. Methods We conducted this cross-sectional study on fifty-two adult human cadaveric hearts of South Indian origin collected during dissection classes for undergraduate medical students. We measured the GCV's length and diameter and applied the linear regression analysis to derive a formula for estimating the diameter of the GCV. We also noted the frequency of formation of the triangle of Brocq and Mouchet and presented it as a percentage. Results The mean length and width of the GCV were 67.77 mm and 2.76 mm, respectively. The formula obtained after linear regression analysis for calculating the diameter of the GCV was: the diameter of GCV=0.0089 (length of GCV vein) ± 2.147. The triangle of Brocq and Mouchet with GCV as the base was present in 97% of the hearts. Conclusion The length and diameter of the GCV reported in the current study were considerably lesser than the reported findings in the literature. These findings suggest significant variations in the anatomy of the cardiac veins and call for further research on the anatomy of cardiac veins.