Journal of cardiac surgery
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For almost 100 years the coronary venous system has attracted researchers as an access route to deprived myocardium. Different concepts have been tried and numerous experimental studies have been performed to evaluate whether coronary sinus occlusion, retroinfusion, and retroperfusion of arterial blood via the coronary sinus represent an effective treatment of myocardial ischemia. The early successful studies of Drs. ⋯ All of these techniques currently are under clinical consideration; the retroinfusion of cardioplegia has already found wide clinical acceptance, SRP and PICSO have only recently been tested in first clinical trials. Due to a vast resurgence in interest, it is desirable to survey the results obtained with each of these techniques, to discuss the pathophysiology and mode of action of coronary sinus interventions, and to assign them a place in the perspective of conventional therapies. Furthermore, an attempt will be made to weigh individual coronary sinus techniques against each other, discuss in which clinical settings each of them may be most effective, and define issues facing current development.