= Posterior descending artery
= Posterior interventricular artery
{synonym}
The \b[posterior descending artery], also called the \b[posterior interventricular artery], follows the <posterior interventricular sulcus> toward the apex of the <heart>. Its branches contribute to posterior ventricular and septal supply.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others>[Section 19.1, Coronary Arteries and Figure 19.15]{ref}
Its parent route is central to <coronary dominance>. In a right-dominant pattern it arises from the <right coronary artery>; a left-dominant route involves the <circumflex artery>. The branch's descriptive name identifies a course, while its origin identifies a connection within the coronary network.
Tracing the two possible routes makes the distinction concrete. One goes from the <aorta> into the <right coronary artery> and then to this branch. The other passes from the <aorta> into the <left coronary artery>, then the <circumflex artery>, before reaching it. The same distal branch name can therefore sit downstream of different proximal segments.
Primary direct and X-ray observations of injected hearts demonstrate that branching varies even within a dominance class.<Functional dominance of the right coronary artery: incidence in the human heart by C. E. Nerantzis and others>[Abstract, preparation and branching variants]{ref} A textbook route is a reference for identifying the observed anatomy, rather than a reason to overwrite a different observed connection.
The vessel should also be distinguished from the neighboring venous route. The <middle cardiac vein> follows the posterior interventricular region toward the <coronary sinus>. Arterial delivery and venous collection describe different directions and different sampled blood pools, even when the structures lie close together.
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