Inferior Ventricular Arteries Fed by the Right Coronary Artery

Description

Oriented from the diaphragmatic (inferior) surface, the right coronary artery courses in the right atrioventricular groove between the right atrium and right ventricle, then continues posteriorly toward the crux of the heart. Inferior ventricular branches (posterior right ventricular branches) descend over the inferior wall of the right ventricle, running obliquely and distally toward the acute margin and apex, while remaining superficial to the myocardium under the epicardium. At the crux, the posterior interventricular artery (posterior descending artery in right dominance) typically turns inferiorly into the posterior interventricular sulcus, where it lies between the right and left ventricles and gives septal perforators. Nearby, the coronary sinus and accompanying cardiac veins track in the posterior atrioventricular groove, and the ascending aorta sits superior and anterior as the source vessel for the coronary ostia. This inferior perspective matters because it maps the arterial supply to the diaphragmatic myocardium and the atrioventricular junction, territory that becomes ischemic in proximal right coronary artery occlusion. Inferior myocardial infarction patterns, right ventricular infarction, and conduction disturbances (AV nodal ischemia when the AV nodal branch arises near the crux) all correlate with the branching shown here, and this is also the operative field for bypass targets to the posterior descending artery during coronary artery bypass grafting. Use this asset when you need to teach coronary dominance and diaphragmatic-surface perfusion in gross anatomy, cardiology, and cardiovascular surgery courses, or to illustrate RCA lesion localization in journal figures, patient education, and cath lab documentation. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.