We analyzed 40 hearts of adult dogs, males and females of different ages, without cardiac disease. The hearts had the coronary arteries inject using Neoprene Latex 450, colored with red pigment, and which was then dissected. In the ventricular vascularization the left coronary artery was predominant and gave rise to the paraconal interventricular and subsinuous branches. The region occupied by the sinoatrial node was most frequently (17 times, 42.5%) in dependence of the left atrial proximal branch or in the collateral branch of that vessel, coming from the left circumflex branch, or this vessel was associated with the right atrial distal branch (8 times, 20%). With less frequency (14 times, 30%), in the area occupied by the sinoatrial node we found only the collaterals of the right circumflex branch, only the right atrial distal branch (10 times, 25%), only the right atrial proximal branch (3 times, 7.5%) or exclusively the right atrial intermediary branch (once, 2.5%). In just one case (once, 2.5%) in the area of the sinoatrial node we observed only the collateral of the left circumflex branch, i.e. the left atrial distal branch. According to our results we concluded that in this specie there is no relationship between the type of ventricular vascularization and irrigation of the sinoatrial node. In doing so, to consider just the ventricular branches is not sufficient for a clinical and surgical applied understanding, since the atrial branches make an important contribution to the sinoatrial node vascularization.
Canines; cardiac conduction system; heart vascularization
