Great cardiac vein

Coronary artery bypass was found to decrease blood plasma TAC (T1). Similarly, a brief episode of myocardial ischemia due to elective coronary angioplasty on the left anterior descending coronary artery decreased TAC of blood plasma in the great cardiac vein after 1 and 5 min of the angioplasty TAC returned to normal after 15 min (B22). Another study found lower TAC in the great cardiac vein than in aorta aortic levels before baloon inflation, and its further decrease after 1 min (R19). 

WilkoffBE, BelottPH, Love CJ et al (2005) Improved extraction of ePTEE and medical adhesive modified defibrillation leads from the coronary sinus and great cardiac vein. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 28(3) 205-211... 

Figure 15 presents opening of great cardiac vein into SVC. Occasionally, anomalous communications of cardiac veins are seen, with L-R shunt between great cardiac vein and pulmonary veins (Figure 16). 

Fig. 15. Axial scan, maximum intensity projection. Anomalous course of great cardiac vein (arrow) with its opening into SVC.

Use of the left anterior oblique projection is extremely important in defining the tributaries of the coronary sinus (Fig. 4.76). In the frontal and right anterior oblique projections, tributaries of the coronary sinus appear to run perpendicular to the coronary sinus obliquely from a superior to an inferior direction (Fig. 4.77). The branches appear to be parallel, and differentiation of anteroseptal, lateral, and posterolateral branches is almost impossible. For simplicity and for the purpose of this discussion, branches or tributaries of the coronary sinus are described from their ostia in the coronary sinus. In the LAO projection, the great cardiac vein or anterior cardiac vein comes off of the coronary sinus superiorly into the right. It then turns acutely, descending inferiorly... 

Bai Y, Strathmore N, Mond H et al. Permanent ventricular pacing via the great cardiac vein. PACE 1994 17 678-683. 

The anatomy of the coronary sinus venous branches warrants review (Fig. 5.2). The coronary sinus typically joins with the great cardiac vein... 

Fig. 5.2 The Schematic of the Anatomy of Coronary Sinus Venous Branches. Appropriate coronary sinus branch vessel targets for left ventricular lead implantation include those supplying the lateral wall of the left ventricle. These include the anterolateral, lateral (or marginal), posterolateral branches, as well as lateral branches of the middle cardiac vein or great cardiac vein. Individual patients rarely have all of these branches, so techniques to implant at any of these locations during difficult cases should be attempted if one target branch is unacceptable.

The coronary sinus is bounded posteriorly by the Thebesian valve joining with the Eustacian ridge from the inferior vena cava to become the tendon of Todoro, anteriorly by the tricuspid annulus, and inferiorly by the inferior vena cava (Fig. 5.1). The coronary sinus typically courses posteriorly and paral-lelly to the mitral annulus. The diameter of the coronary sinus can be quite variable and commonly has a prominent Thebesian valve over its orifice. This venous valve is often fenestrated and can occasionally impede placonent of long sheaths deeply within the main body of the coronary sinus. Additionally, within the mid-body if the coronary sinus, venous valves are often present, the most prominent is the venous valve of Vieussens, located at the junction of the vestigial remnant of the vein of Marshall and the origin of the great cardiac... 

A study in Europe found a fairly consistent increase in risk for neural tube defects, malformations of the cardiac septal, and anomalies of great arteries and veins in offspring the closer their mothers lived to hazardous waste landfill sites. ... 

In another example of a part of an organism that changes its state in the face of brntal environmental conditions, we consider the effects of hemorrhage on the human body. A great loss of blood, even bleeding into internal tissnes, can lower cardiac output to the point where blood pres-snre falls dramatically. In response, the blood vessels constrict to increase resistance (and thus blood pressure), and to reduce blood stored in them. The veins, in particular, are normally blood storage vessels, and these constrict to move blood back to the heart faster. The contraction of the... 

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