Absent posterior interventricular artery

Abstract

During the dissection of the thorax of a 79-year-old Caucasian male cadaver, the posterior interventricular coronary artery was found to be completely absent. Congenital heart abnormalities are frequent but absent arteries are uncommon and when occurring are often associated with replacement vessels from the existing circulation, making complete absence rare. This condition may well have been asymptomatic in life, but such variations could have serious implications in patients with underlying heart pathology.