Great cardiac vein
Vena cardiaca magna
The great cardiac vein is the main tributary of the coronary sinus. It drains the territory of the left coronary artery, running up the anterior interventricular groove beside the LAD and then around the left atrioventricular groove beside the circumflex.
Overview
The great cardiac vein begins near the apex. It ascends in the anterior interventricular sulcus next to the LAD, then turns left into the coronary sulcus and follows the circumflex artery around the left border of the heart. At the oblique vein of the left atrium it becomes the coronary sinus. Along the way it receives veins from the left atrium, both ventricles and the anterolateral wall, including the left marginal vein.
Anatomy
- Course
It runs from the apex up the anterior interventricular groove and then around the left AV groove to the back of the heart, where it becomes the coronary sinus.
Function
- Drains the anterior and lateral left ventricle, the anterior septum and the left atrium.
Clinical significance
Device and catheter access
The great cardiac vein lies close to the mitral annulus and the circumflex artery. It is used to place pacing leads, and some ventricular arrhythmias are mapped and ablated from inside it.
Compiled from standard anatomy and physiology references — see the Cardiovascular System sources. For education only; not medical advice.