The ostrich belongs to a group of terrestrial birds known as ratites. Their heart irrigation has characteristics very similar to those of mammals, with arteries distributed on the cardiac surface. The presence of a single coronary artery is considered a congenital malformation that could lead to a deficit in coronary perfusion and be a cause of ischemic symptomatology.Weanalyzed100ostrichhearts. Birdswereagedbetween 12-15 months, with an average weight of 92 kg. For precise visualization, coronary arteries were catheterized and injected with Neoprene Latex 650 by Dupont, red for the right coronary artery, and yellow for the left coronary artery. They were fixed in 10 % formalin for 10 days. Two cases were observed where the right coronary artery originated as a collateral branch of the left coronary artery, one ran between the aorta and the pulmonary artery; the other anterior to the pulmonary trunk, replacing the coronary artery. Coronary arteries had a diameter of 3.2 mm and 2.5 mm; a 90.4 mm and 123.4 mm path was recorded reaching the right margin and diaphragmatic surface of the heart.
KEYWORD: Coronary artery; Right coronary artery; Ostrich heart.
HENRÍQUEZ-PINO, J. Variaciones en el origen de la arteria coronaria cerecha en corazones de avestruz (Struthio camelus). Int. J. Morphol., 42(3):855-858, 2024.
