The great cardiac vein (left coronary vein) is a vein of the heart. It begins at the apex of the heart and ascends along the anterior interventricular sulcus[1] before joining the oblique vein of the left atrium to form the coronary sinus[2] upon the posterior surface of the heart.
| Great cardiac vein | |
|---|---|
 Base and diaphragmatic surface of heart. (Great cardiac vein labeled at center left.) | |
 Pulmonary vessels, seen in a dorsal view of the heart and lungs. The lungs have been pulled away from the median line, and a part of the right lung has been cut away to display the air-ducts and bloodvessels (great coronary vein labeled at center bottom). | |
| Details | |
| Drains to | Coronary sinus |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | vena cordis magna, vena cardiaca magna |
| TA98 | A12.3.01.003 |
| TA2 | 4159 |
| FMA | 4707 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Anatomy
editCourse
editThe great cardiac vein ascends along the anterior interventricular sulcus[1] to the base of the ventricles.[citation needed] It then curves around the left margin of the heart to reach the posterior surface.[2]
Fate
editUpon reaching the posterior surface of the heart,[3] the great cardiac vein merges with the oblique vein of the left atrium to form the coronary sinus.[2][3] At the junction of the great cardiac vein and the coronary sinus, there is typically a valve present. This is the Vieussens valve of the coronary sinus.[2]
Tributaries
editThe great cardiac vein receives tributaries from the left atrium and from both ventricles: one, the left marginal vein, is of considerable size, and ascends along the left margin of the heart.[citation needed]
References
edit
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 642 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
- ^ a b Morton, David A. (2018). The Big Picture: Gross Anatomy. K. Bo Foreman, Kurt H. Albertine (2nd ed.). New York. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-259-86264-9. OCLC 1044772257.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c d McAlpine, W. A. (2012). Heart and Coronary Arteries: An Anatomical Atlas for Clinical Diagnosis, Radiological Investigation, and Surgical Treatment. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783642659836.
- ^ a b Wilson, Alexander; Bhutta, Beenish S. (2022), "Anatomy, Thorax, Coronary Sinus", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 32491498, retrieved 2023-01-05
External links
edit- Anatomy photo:20:11-0101 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Heart: Cardiac veins"
- Anatomy figure: 20:03-05 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Anterior view of the heart."
