Anomalies of the Coronary Sinus and Its Tributaries

Imaging of the coronary sinus and its tributaries has gained increasing significance consequent to the development of an array of electrophysiological and interventional procedures using the cardiac venous system, including ablation for arrhythmias, left ventricular pacing, and in the administration of retrograde cardioplegia. Knowledge of the normal anatomy and the possible anomalies and their clinical significance is imperative to circumvent possible complications. A number of coronary sinus (CS) anomalies, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, have been observed with the widespread use of noninvasive cross-sectional imaging for the imaging of the heart. However, it should be kept in mind that even clinically occult lesions of the CS can cause disastrous complications in specific interventions. Hence, a thorough knowledge of the expected anatomy and the possible anomalies involving the CS along with their clinical significance is imperative for the reporting radiologists and the concerned physicians. In this review, we briefly describe the relevant anatomy and embryology and describe the gamut of anomalies pertaining to the CS and its draining veins on multidetector computed tomography angiography along with their clinical importance.