Prevalence and Morphometric Analysis of Coronary High Take-off in a Korean Cadaveric Population

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Coronary high take-off-coronary origin above the sinotubular junction (STJ)-is clinically relevant for transcatheter interventions such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, comprehensive morphometric data on coronary ostia in Koreans are limited. To determine the prevalence of coronary high take-off and measure coronary ostial height and diameter in Korean adults using cadaveric analysis. METHODS: Ostial height was assessed in 128 hearts (83 males, 45 females) and ostial diameter in 45 hearts (25 males, 20 females) from cadavers donated between 2018 and 2024. After longitudinally opening the ascending aorta, ostial position was measured relative to the STJ with digital Vernier calipers. Diameter was measured along the vertical axis through the ostial center. Student's t-test (sex) and paired t-test (laterality) were used; Pearson correlation evaluated associations with age. RESULTS: Mean ostial heights were -1.70±3.81 mm (right coronary artery [RCA]) and -1.72 ± 3.78 mm (left coronary artery [LCA]). High take-off above the STJ was present in 19.5% (RCA) and 16.4% (LCA). Mean ostial diameters were 4.32±1.24 mm (RCA) and 4.61±0.98 mm (LCA); the LCA ostium was larger in 59.1% of specimens. No significant sex- or side-related differences were found for height or diameter. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first detailed coronary ostial morphometric data in a Korean population and demonstrates a relatively high prevalence of high take-off (19.5% RCA, 16.4% LCA). These findings may inform catheter-based procedures, particularly PCI, and support individualized preprocedural planning in Korean patients.