thesis
Ultraharmonic VUS Imaging of Microvascularization
- Publication date
- 18 June 2013
- Publisher
- The coronary arteries are major blood vessels branching along the heart surface to convey nutrients and
oxygen carried in the blood to the heart muscle cells. In turn, the heart ensures the perpetual
transportation of blood throughout the other organs of the circulatory system. Coronary arteries
comprise the right and left coronary artery. Both originate from the root of the aorta. The left main
coronary artery (LCA) gives off the left circumflex artery (LCX) and continues its descent as the left
anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). The LCX runs around the left border of the heart to reach
the posterior surface where it supplies the left ventricle muscle. The LAD and its branches supply two
thirds of the anterior heart surface. The right coronary artery (RCA) descends along the border of the
right atrium and the right ventricle to supply the right ventricle muscle. A simplified representation of
the coronary artery anatomy is represented in Figure 1.