= Anterior interventricular sulcus
The \b[anterior interventricular sulcus] is the external groove between the <right ventricle> and <left ventricle> on the anterior surface of the <heart>. The <left anterior descending artery> and the anterior course of the <great cardiac vein> follow this region toward the <cardiac apex>.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others>[§19.1, External Anatomy and Coronary Circulation, Figures 19.6 and 19.15]{ref}
The name is a position description: anterior refers to the front-facing surface and interventricular to the two neighboring ventricular chambers. The <anterior interventricular sulcus> helps orient a specimen before the <heart> is opened. By contrast, the <interventricular septum> separates the cavities internally. A surface line in a photograph and a wall in an opened specimen are different views of related anatomy.
For an illuminating comparison, trace the <left anterior descending artery> from the <left coronary artery> toward the <cardiac apex>, then trace the nearby <great cardiac vein> toward the <coronary sinus>. Shared location does not imply shared flow direction or identical branching. Direct dissection also shows that superficial/deep relationships between these vessels vary; an anatomical study of 37 hearts documented such vein–artery relationships rather than assuming one invariant crossing pattern.<The anatomy of the coronary sinus and its tributaries by J. R. Ortale and others>[Abstract, dissection method and arteriovenous relationships]{ref}
Back to article page
