3D CONTENT
3D HEART ANATOMY

HEART SURFACES AND BORDERS

Author: Dr. Bogdan Leahu
Myocardium & Conducting System →
Heart borders 360-degree interactive viewer showing right border formed by superior vena cava and right atrium, used for assessing right atrial enlargement
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

BORDERS OF THE HEART

Right Border

What forms the right border of the heart?

  • Formed by two structures
    • Superior vena cava superiorly
    • Right atrium inferiorly
  • Faces your right lung
  • Used in radiography to assess right atrial enlargement

Inferior Border

What forms the inferior border of the heart?

  • Nearly horizontal in orientation
  • Primarily formed by the right ventricle
  • Rests on your diaphragm
  • Separates anterior surface from diaphragmatic surface

Left Border

What forms the left border of the heart?

  • Outlines the left side of your heart
  • Formed by multiple structures:
    • Aortic arch
    • Pulmonary trunk
    • Left auricle
    • Left ventricle extending to apex
  • Faces your left lung
  • Important for evaluating left ventricular size and shape

SURFACES OF THE HEART

Heart surfaces 360-degree viewer showing anterior sternocostal surface with right ventricle, left ventricle, and atrial contributions
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Anterior Surface

What is the anterior surface of the heart?

  • Also called sternocostal surface
  • Faces anteriorly toward your sternum and ribs
  • Composed of:
    • Right atrium
    • Right ventricle (major contribution)
    • Left ventricle (small contribution)

Left Surface

What is the left surface of the heart?

  • Also called pulmonary surface
  • Directed toward your left lung
  • Mainly formed by left ventricle
  • Partly formed by left atrium

Right Surface

What is the right surface of the heart?

  • Faces your right lung
  • Formed mainly by right atrium
  • Extends between superior and inferior vena cava
  • Relevant in right-sided cardiac conditions

Inferior Surface

What is the inferior surface of the heart?

  • Also called diaphragmatic surface
  • Faces downward
  • Rests on your diaphragm
  • Composed of:
    • Left ventricle (major contribution)
    • Right ventricle (partial contribution)
  • Clinically significant in inferior wall myocardial infarctions

BASE OF THE HEART

What is the base of the heart?

  • Posterior aspect of your heart
  • Oriented posteriorly and to the right
  • Mainly formed by left atrium
  • Receives pulmonary veins carrying oxygenated blood

APEX OF THE HEART

What is the apex of the heart?

  • Tip of the left ventricle
  • Orientation:
    • Anteriorly
    • Downward
    • To the left
  • Located in your fifth intercostal space at midclavicular line
  • Important landmark for cardiac auscultation
  • Site for listening to mitral valve sounds

SULCI OF THE HEART

Heart sulci 360-degree viewer showing coronary sulcus, anterior and inferior interventricular sulci with coronary arteries and cardiac veins
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Coronary Sulcus

What is the coronary sulcus?

  • Also called atrioventricular groove
  • Encircles your heart
  • Demarcates atria from ventricles
  • Contains important cardiac vessels

Sulcus Terminalis

What is the sulcus terminalis?

  • Groove on right atrium
  • Runs vertically along right atrium
  • Extends from anterior aspect of superior vena cava
  • Continues to anterior aspect of inferior vena cava
  • Internal correspondence is crista terminalis
  • Marks important junction in right atrial wall

Anterior Interventricular Sulcus

What is the anterior interventricular sulcus?

  • Groove on anterior surface
  • Marks junction between right and left ventricles
  • Contains:
    • Anterior interventricular artery (left anterior descending)
    • Great cardiac vein

Inferior Interventricular Sulcus

What is the inferior interventricular sulcus?

  • Groove on diaphragmatic surface
  • Marks junction between ventricles on inferior surface
  • Contains:
    • Posterior interventricular artery — usually branch of right coronary artery
    • Middle cardiac vein

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.

7. The structure and organization of anatomical terms used in this text follow the guidelines provided by FIPAT (2019) in their publication: FIPAT. (2019). Terminologia Anatomica (2nd ed.). FIPAT.library.dal.ca. Federative International Programme for Anatomical Terminology. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://fipat.library.dal.ca/TA2/