= Posterior interventricular sulcus
The \b[posterior interventricular sulcus] is an external groove marking the meeting of the <right ventricle> and <left ventricle> on the posterior/inferior aspect of the <heart>. It provides a surface route for the <posterior descending artery> and <middle cardiac vein> 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}
Three objects must be distinguished when reading an anatomical drawing: the <posterior interventricular sulcus> is the groove, the vessels are structures within or along it, and the <interventricular septum> is the partition inside the <heart>. Following the groove toward the <cardiac apex> locates a ventricular boundary on the surface; it does not open a communication between the two ventricular cavities.
A useful dissection exercise is to identify the <middle cardiac vein> by tracing it back toward the <coronary sinus>, then compare its route with the neighboring <posterior descending artery>. The two vessels can occupy a common corridor while transporting <blood> in different directions. The origin of the <posterior descending artery> also varies with <coronary dominance>; the position of the groove does not by itself identify the supplying <coronary artery>. The <posterior interventricular sulcus> is therefore a stable anatomical landmark for describing a variable vascular network.
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