What is the role of the aorta in directing coronary blood flow?
- Department of Paediatrics, Jichi Medical University, Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Japan
- Dr T Murakami, Department of Paediatrics, Jichi Medical University, Jichi Children's Medical Centre Tochigi (JCMCT), Yakushiji 3311-1, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498 Japan; murat{at}seagreen.ocn.ne.jp
To the editor: The recent article by Davies and colleagues1 discussed the role of the aorta in directing coronary circulation. They mainly treated the subject from the viewpoint of blood pressure; however, a further point needs to be clarified—namely, the coronary blood flow. The aorta serves predominantly as a cushioning reservoir of blood during systole, and thereafter expels it to the peripheral circulation during diastole (reservoir function). One of the most important organs to …
