Coronary arteries and cardiac veins (English)

The coronary arterial system starts with two main arteries which originate from the aortic sinuses of the root of the aorta. The right coronary artery wraps around the right side of the heart running in the coronary/atrioventricular sulcus. It gives rise to three groups of branches (anterior, marginal and inferior (formerly known as posterior)) that vascularize the majority of structures located in the right aspect of the heart. The left coronary artery courses towards the anterior interventricular groove where it bifurcates into its two terminal branches; the anterior interventricular artery and the circumflex artery of the heart. The largest vein of the heart is the coronary sinus. It runs in the coronary sulcus on the inferior aspect of the heart and drains blood from the majority of the heart into the right atrium. The coronary sinus has many tributaries including the great, middle and small cardiac veins, inferior vein of the left ventricle and the oblique vein of left atrium. The largest vein on the anterior aspect of the heart is the great cardiac vein. This vein receives blood from many venules of the ventricles and left atrium, left marginal vein and anterior interventricular vein.