Editorial Comment: Importance of anatomic variability of the coronary arterial orifices

The aortic root is a frequent site of interventional procedures in both adults and children. Understanding the precise nature and relation of the anatomical structures composing the aortic root, including coronary orifices, is valuable in percutaneous and transcatheter therapeutic techniques for valve or device implantations as well as in various open-heart procedures. This interventional point of view lends importance to the clinical relevance of the study by Govsa et al. (1) published in this issue of Anatolian Journal of Cardiology. The authors studied hundred normal adult hearts postmortem. They assessed the anatomical relation of the coronary orifices in terms of their number, position, and shape as well as their relation with the sinotubular junction (STJ). The right and left coronary ostia were individually analyzed, and the distances from these ostia to the bottom of the aortic sinuses and to the commissures of the aortic leaflets were studied. Previous studies noted that preoperative knowledge of morphological characteristics of the coronary orifices and aortic root is important in the management of patients with different pathologies involving the aortic root and coronary arteries (2, 3).