Title: Experimental Studies Concerning the Blood Flow Direction in the Anomalous Left Coronary Artery Arising from the Pulmonary Artery
Abstract: A lesion similar to the anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery was created in experimental dogs. When the pulmonary artery and the coronary artery were connected with a cannulating probe, 6 months after the ligation of the left circumflex artery, a marked blood flow was directed from the coronary side to the pulmonary side. During the 6 months, the peripheral coronary artery pressure rose to a level significantly higher than that of the pulmonary artery pressure; therefore, connecting the left circumflex coronary artery with the ascending aorta failed to induce a significant blood flow. Because of the approximately equal pressure levels in the aorta and the coronary artery, the establishment of a 2-coronary artery system using a vein bypass graft cannot supply a significant blood volume to the cardiac tissue through the new graft.