= Coronary sulcus
The \b[coronary sulcus] is the external groove around the <heart> at the boundary between its atria and ventricles. It provides a route for parts of the <right coronary artery>, <circumflex artery>, <great cardiac vein> and <coronary sinus>.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others>[§19.1, External Anatomy and Coronary Circulation]{ref}
An anatomical route can be reconstructed from connected landmarks: the <great cardiac vein> runs from the <anterior interventricular sulcus> into the <coronary sulcus> and toward the <coronary sinus>. The turn distinguishes a vessel following the atrial–ventricular boundary from one continuing toward the <cardiac apex>. This is useful when relating an anterior view to a posterior view of the same specimen.
The groove should not be treated as a rigid pipe carrying all of these vessels in one fixed order. In a primary dissection series, the <great cardiac vein>'s relationship to the neighboring arteries differed among specimens.<The anatomy of the coronary sinus and its tributaries by J. R. Ortale and others>[Abstract, relationships within the coronary sulcus]{ref} A diagram can therefore correctly show the main route while suppressing variation in crossings and spacing. The <coronary sulcus> describes surface geography; identifying a particular <artery> or <vein> still requires tracing its connections.
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