Vein ostia

Pappone C, et al. Circumferential radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary vein ostia A new anatomic approach for curing atrial fibrillation. Circulation 2000 102(21 ) 261 9-2628. HohnloserSH, Kuck KH, LilienthalJ. Rhythm or rate control in atrial fibrillation—Pharmacological Intervention in Atrial Fibrillation (PIAF) a randomised trial. Lancet 2000 356(9244) 1789-1794. 

Pappone C, Rosanio S, Oreto G, et al. Circumferential radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary vein ostia A new anatomic approach for curing atrial fibrillation. Circulation 2000 102 2619-28. 

The ostia of the veins draining into the coronary sinus may be guarded by unicuspid or bicuspid valves. 

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... 

The recipient heart explantation is more extensive compared with other techniques. After circumferential transection of the venae cavae, the left atrium is completely removed leaving only one left-sided and one right-sided atrial cuff. These two cuffs include the ostia of the pulmonary veins. 

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