Accessory ostia in the aortic sinuses in autopsied hearts at the university teaching hospital, Lusaka, Zambia

Background: Accessory coronary ostia refer are ostia located in the aortic sinuses other than those of the left and right coronary arteries. The most common ostia found in the aortic sinuses are those of the conal and sinoatrial node arteries. Knowledge and recognition of these two arteries is important when performing coronary angiography. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of accessory ostia in the aortic sinuses in autopsied hearts. Materials and Methods: A total of 127 human hearts were dissected and grossly examined during autopsy from subjects aged between 17 and 86 years. Results: Accessory ostia were found in 39.4% (50/127) hearts and all of them were located in right aortic sinus. Conal artery ostia were observed in 30.7% (39/127) whilst the sinoatrial node artery ostia was observed in 8.7% (11/127) of the specimens. Conclusions: Accessory coronary ostia were observed in only in the right aortic sinus in 39.4% (50/127) of the hearts.