Left coronary artery

Medical Terminology Daily (MTD) is a blog sponsored by Clinical Anatomy Associates, Inc. as a service to the medical community. We post anatomical, medical or surgical terms, their meaning and usage, as well as biographical notes on anatomists, surgeons, and researchers through the ages. Be warned that some of the images used depict human anatomical specimens.

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A Moment in History

Jean Louis Petit
(1674 – 1750)

French surgeon and anatomist, Jean Louis Petit was born in Paris in on March 13, 1674. His family rented an apartment at his house to Alexis Littre (1658 – 1726), a French anatomist. Petit became an apprentice of Littre at seven years of age, helping him in the dissections for his lectures and at an early age became the assistant in charge of the anatomic amphitheater.

Because of Petit’s dedication to anatomy and medicine, in 1690 at the age of sixteen, became a disciple of a famous Paris surgeon, Castel.

In 1692, Petit entered the French army and performed surgery in two military campaigns. By 1693 he started delivering lectures and was accepted as a great surgeon, being invited to the most difficult operations. In 1700 he was appointed Chief Surgeon of the Military School in Paris and in the same year he received the degree of Master of Surgery from the Faculty of Paris.

In 1715 he was made a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of the Royal Society of London. He was appointed by the King as the first Director General of the Royal Academy of Surgery when it was founded in 1731.

Petit’s written works are of historical importance. “Traite des Maladies des Os” ( A Treatise on Bone Diseases); “Traite des Maladies Chirurgicales et des Operation” (A Treatise on Surgical Diseases and their Operations” This last book was published posthumously in 1774. He also published a monograph on hemorrhage, another on lachrymal fistula, and others.

He was one of the first to perform choIecystotomy and mastoidotomy. His original tourniquet design for amputations saved many in the battlefield and the design of the same surgical instrument today has not changed much since its invention by him.

His name is remembered in the lumbar triangle, also called the "triangle of Petit", and the abdominal hernia that can ensue through that area of weakness, the lumbar hernia or "Petit's hernia".

Sources:
1. “Jean Louis Petit – A Sketch of his Life, Character, and Writings” Hayne, AP San Fran Western Lancet 1875 4: 446-454
2. “Oeuvres compl?tes de Jean-Louis Petit” 1837 Imprimerie de F. Chapoulaud
3. Extraits de l'eloge de Jean-Louis Petit Ius dans Ia seance publique de I' Academie royale de chirurgie du 26 mai 1750” Louis A. Chirurgie 2001: 126 : 475- 81

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Left coronary artery

Published: Friday, October 31, 2014 07:00 | Written by: Efrain A. Miranda, Ph.D. | Hits: 6618

The left coronary artery, sometimes called the [left main coronary artery] or LMCA, is a short artery that arises from the aortic root at the left posterior coronary sinus of Valsalva, usually below the sinotubular junction.

Its length is on average 1.3 cm, although it can be shorter. The LMCA courses between the left atrial appendage and the posterior aspect of the pulmonary trunk. The LMCA provides blood supply to almost 69% of the heart, making it most important in coronary blood supply to the heart. This apparently goes against the concept of coronary dominance if the concept is not clearly understood. You could have a "right dominant heart" and still have the LMCA provide blood supply to more than 50% of the heart.

The left coronary artery bifurcates giving origin to two branches: the circumflex artery (CFX) and the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Each one of these arteries gives origin to several named branches and you can click on the links to follow each one.

Coronary Arteries

The left coronary artery has several anatomical variations, including one where it does not exist and the CFX and LAD arise separately from the aorta. In another common variation (25-33%) the aorta trifurcates giving rise to a [ramus intermedius]

Sources:
1 "Tratado de Anatomia Humana" Testut et Latarjet 8 Ed. 1931 Salvat Editores, Spain
2. "Gray's Anatomy" 38th British Ed. Churchill Livingstone 1995
3. “Anatomical variations in the left coronary artery and its branches” Hosapatna, M et al. Singapore Med J 2013; 54(1) : 49
4. "Quantitative study on the size of coronary artery supplying areas postmortem" Kalbfleisch H. Am Heart J 1977; 94:183-8.
Image property of: CAA.Inc.. Artist: Victoria G. Ratcliffe

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