3D CONTENT
3D HEART ANATOMY

LEFT CORONARY ARTERY

Author: Dr. Bogdan Leahu

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Left coronary artery anatomy 360-degree interactive viewer showing LCA origin from left aortic sinus and bifurcation
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Left Coronary Artery - Overview, Preview from the app.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LEFT CORONARY ARTERY

What is the left coronary artery?

  • Originates from left side of aorta (left aortic sinus)
  • Supplies oxygenated blood to the left part of your heart
  • Most commonly bifurcates into two arteries:
    • Circumflex artery
    • Anterior interventricular artery

ANTERIOR INTERVENTRICULAR ARTERY

Anterior interventricular artery (left anterior descending) descending along interventricular sulcus with conal, diagonal, and septal branches
Anterior Interventricular Artery, Preview from the app. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Sourced from 3D HEART ANATOMY.

What is the anterior interventricular artery?

  • Also known as left anterior descending artery (LAD)
  • Originates from left main coronary artery
  • Descends along interventricular sulcus
  • Gives rise to multiple important branches
  • Branches:
    • Conal branch
    • Anterior ventricular branches
    • Diagonal branch
    • Septal branches

BRANCHES OF ANTERIOR INTERVENTRICULAR ARTERY

Branches of anterior interventricular artery showing conal branch, anterior ventricular branches, diagonal branch, and septal branches
Branches of Anterior Interventricular Artery, Preview from the app. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Sourced from 3D HEART ANATOMY.

Conal Branch

What is the conal branch?

  • Small branch supplying conus arteriosus
  • Supplies part of your right ventricle

Anterior Ventricular Branches

What are the anterior ventricular branches?

  • Supply the anterior cardiac wall
  • Perfuse the anterior wall of your heart

Diagonal Branch

What is the diagonal branch?

  • Courses diagonally from main artery
  • Supplies blood to the left side of your heart

Septal Branches

What are the septal branches?

  • Penetrate interventricular septum
  • Supply a significant portion of your interventricular septum

CIRCUMFLEX ARTERY OF HEART

Circumflex artery anatomy 360-degree interactive viewer showing course along atrioventricular groove
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Circumflex Artery of Heart, Preview from the app.

What is the circumflex artery of the heart?

  • Curves around your heart
  • Supplies blood to:
    • Left atrium
    • Lateral wall of left ventricle
    • Posterior wall of left ventricle
  • Branches:
    • Atrial branches
    • Atrial anastomotic branch
    • Left marginal branch
    • Inferior left ventricular branch

BRANCHES OF CIRCUMFLEX ARTERY

Branches of circumflex artery showing atrial branches, atrial anastomotic branch, left marginal branch, and inferior left ventricular branch
Branches of Circumflex Artery, Preview from the app. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Sourced from 3D HEART ANATOMY.

Atrial Branches

What are the atrial branches of the circumflex artery?

  • Supply your left atrium
  • Perfuse the left atrial wall

Atrial Anastomotic Branch

What is the atrial anastomotic branch?

  • Connecting vessel
  • Links circumflex artery with other atrial arteries
  • Provides collateral circulation to your left atrium

Left Marginal Branch

What is the left marginal branch?

  • Courses along left cardiac margin
  • Supplies the lateral wall of your left ventricle

Inferior Left Ventricular Branch

What is the inferior left ventricular branch?

  • Descends inferiorly
  • Supplies the inferior wall of your left ventricle

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/