CARDIAC VEINS
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CARDIAC VEINS
What are the cardiac veins?
- Network of veins draining your myocardium
- Return deoxygenated blood to your right atrium
Two Drainage Pathways
What are the two drainage pathways of the cardiac veins?
- Via coronary sinus
- Direct drainage into your right atrium
CORONARY SINUS
What is the coronary sinus?
- Primary venous structure of your heart
- Receives larger veins draining your myocardium
- Drains into your right atrium
Location
Where is the coronary sinus located?
- Between left atrial wall and ventricular myocardium
Tributaries
What are the tributaries of the coronary sinus?
- Great cardiac vein
- Middle cardiac vein
- Small cardiac vein
- Oblique vein of left atrium
- Inferior vein of left ventricle
GREAT CARDIAC VEIN
What is the great cardiac vein?
- Major cardiac vein
- Courses within left atrioventricular groove
- Runs alongside left circumflex artery
Drainage Territory
What does the great cardiac vein drain?
- Left ventricular apex
- Anterior interventricular septum
- Anterior portions of both ventricles
- Part of left atrium
ANTERIOR INTERVENTRICULAR VEIN
What is the anterior interventricular vein?
- Travels in anterior interventricular groove
- Accompanies left anterior descending artery
Drainage Territory
What does the anterior interventricular vein drain?
- Left ventricular apex
- Anterior interventricular septum
- Anterior portions of both ventricles
LEFT MARGINAL VEIN
What does the left marginal vein drain?
- Drains lateral wall of your left ventricle
- Drains posterior and inferior wall of your left ventricle
INFERIOR VEIN OF LEFT VENTRICLE
What is the inferior vein of the left ventricle?
- Tributary draining your inferior left ventricular wall
- Usually joins great cardiac vein
- May drain directly into coronary sinus
OBLIQUE VEIN OF LEFT ATRIUM
What is the oblique vein of the left atrium?
- Small vessel on your left atrium
- Collects blood from your inferior left atrial wall
- Typically merges with great cardiac vein
- May drain directly into coronary sinus
MIDDLE CARDIAC VEIN
What is the middle cardiac vein?
- Ascends with inferior interventricular artery
- Drains into your coronary sinus
SMALL CARDIAC VEIN
What is the small cardiac vein?
- Courses alongside right coronary artery
- Located in right atrioventricular groove
- Typically drains into your coronary sinus
Drainage Territory
What does the small cardiac vein drain?
- Inferior wall of your right ventricle
RIGHT MARGINAL VEIN
What is the right marginal vein?
- Courses alongside right marginal artery
- Follows lateral wall of your right ventricle
ANTERIOR CARDIAC VEINS
What are the anterior cardiac veins?
- Variable group of veins
- Drain a significant portion of your right ventricle
- Empty directly into your right atrium
- Enter above right atrioventricular groove
- Do not drain through coronary sinus
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Gray H, Lewis W. Angiology. In: Anatomy of the Human Body. 1918. p. 526–542.
2. Gosling JA, Harris PF, Humpherson JR, Whitmore I, Willan PLT. Human anatomy: color atlas and textbook. 6th ed. 2017. 45–58 p.
3. Anderson RH, Spicer DE, Hlavacek AM, Cook AC, Backer CL. (2013). Anatomy of the cardiac chambers. In Wilcox’s Surgical Anatomy of the Heart (4th ed., pp. 13–50). Cambridge University Press.
4. Fritsch H, Kuehnel W. Color Atlas of Human Anatomy. Vol. Volume 2, Color Atlas and Textbook of Human Anatomy. 2005. 10–42 p.
5. Moore K, Dalley A, Agur A. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. Vol. 7ed, Clinically Oriented Anatomy. 2014. 132–151 p.
6. Ho SYen. Anatomy for Cardiac Electrophysiologists: A Practical Handbook. Cardiotext Pub; 2012. 5–27 p.
