Anatomy study note · Thorax

Coronary sinus and cardiac veins

Most blood from the heart wall drains through the coronary sinus, a wide vein in the posterior atrioventricular groove that opens into the right atrium just left of the inferior vena cava.

Key points

• Coronary sinus: posterior AV groove → right atrium.
• Great cardiac vein accompanies the LAD.
• Middle cardiac vein accompanies the posterior interventricular artery.
• Anterior cardiac veins → right atrium directly.
• Coronary sinus: left horn of sinus venosus + left common cardinal vein.
• Vein: thin wall, adventitia thickest, valves.
• Veins hold ~70% of the blood.

The full note in the atlas also covers

Tributaries · Histology · Development

Sign in free to see it on the 3D model, read the full note and practise questions on it.

Written from

• Snell’s Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 10th ed., ch. 5, PDF pp. 626–627
• Inderbir Singh’s Human Embryology, ch. 15, PDF pp. 232, 266
• BRS Cell Biology & Histology, 7th ed., ch. 11, PDF pp. 203–205

More from the thorax

• Costal cartilages
• Descending thoracic aorta
• Diaphragm
• Esophagus
• First rib
• Heart
• Intercostal arteries
• Intercostal muscles
• Intercostal nerves
• Internal thoracic artery
• Internal thoracic vein
• Interventricular septum

Privacy policy · Designed by DATXOC LLC.