Does collateral circulation protect against acute myocardial infarction? Two hemodynamically important collateral circulation examples: Case report

Abstract

Coronary collateral vessels interconnect the major coronary arteries. They are small in (<200 ?m) caliber. Collateral channels can not be seen in patients with normal or mildly diseased coronary arteries. The coronary collateral circulation is a complementary source of blood supply to myocardium jeopardized by stenosis of a coronary vessel. If they are adequate size, collaterals may protect against myocardial infarction in cases of total occlusion. The myocardial infarct size is smaller in patients with abundant collateral vessels than in patients without collaterals. Therefore total occlusion of a major epicardial artery may not lead to left ventricule dysfunction. Presented cases are important examples that the myocardium was protected against left ventricule dysfunction owing to total occlusion of one or more major coronary arteries. Copyright © 2011 by Türkiye Klinikleri.