The circumflex branch of left coronary artery (also known as the left circumflex artery or circumflex artery) is a branch of the
left coronary artery. It winds around the left side of the heart along the
atrioventricular groove (coronary sulcus). It supplies the posterolateral portion of the left ventricle.
In a minority of individuals, the left circumflex artery gives rise to the
posterior interventricular artery, in which cases such a heart is deemed
left dominant.
Anatomy
The left circumflex artery follows the left part of the
coronary sulcus
The coronary sulcus (also called coronary groove, auriculoventricular groove, atrioventricular groove, AV groove) is a Sulcus (morphology), groove on the surface of the heart at the base of right auricle that separates the Atrium (heart), atria fr ...
, running first to the left and then to the right, reaching nearly as far as the
posterior longitudinal sulcus. There have been multiple
anomalies described, for example the left circumflex having an aberrant course from the
right coronary artery.
Branches
The circumflex artery curves to the left around the
heart
The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
within the
coronary sulcus
The coronary sulcus (also called coronary groove, auriculoventricular groove, atrioventricular groove, AV groove) is a Sulcus (morphology), groove on the surface of the heart at the base of right auricle that separates the Atrium (heart), atria fr ...
, giving rise to one or more
left marginal arteries (also called obtuse marginal branches) as it curves toward the posterior surface of the heart. It helps form the posterior left ''ventricular branch'' or posterolateral artery. The circumflex artery ends at the point where it joins to form to the
posterior interventricular artery in 15% of all cases, which lies in the
posterior interventricular sulcus. In the other 85% of all cases the posterior interventricular artery comes out of the right coronary artery.
When the left circumflex supplies the
posterior descending artery in those 15% of cases, it is known as a left dominant circulation.
Distribution
The circumflex artery supplies the posterolateral
left ventricle and the anterolateral
papillary muscle
The papillary muscles are muscles located in the ventricles of the heart. They attach to the cusps of the atrioventricular valves (also known as the mitral and tricuspid valves) via the chordae tendineae and contract to prevent inversion or ...
.
It also supplies the
sinoatrial nodal artery in 38% of people.
It supplies 15–25% of the
left ventricle in right-dominant systems. If the coronary anatomy is left-dominant, the circumflex artery supplies 40–50% of the left ventricle.
Additional images
File:Coronary arteries.svg, Coronary arteries (labeled in red text) and other major landmarks (in blue text). ''Left circumflex artery'' is labeled at right.
File:Cardiac vessels.png, Cardiac vessel schematic
File:Human heart with coronary arteries new.png, Human heart with coronary arteries
File:Heart coronary territories.jpg, Heart coronary territories
File:Heart left lateral coronaries diagram.svg, Heart left lateral coronaries diagram
References
External links
* – "Anterior view of the heart."
* – "Posterior view of the heart."
* – "Heart: The Left Coronary Artery and its Branches"
Image at merck.com
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Arteries of the thorax