In the blood supply of the heart, the right coronary artery (RCA) is an

artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pu ...

originating above the right cusp of the

aortic valve The aortic valve is a valve in the heart of humans and most other animals, located between the left ventricle and the aorta. It is one of the four valves of the heart and one of the two semilunar valves, the other being the pulmonary valve. Th ...

, at the right aortic sinus in the

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...

. It travels down the right coronary sulcus, towards the crux of the heart. It supplies the right side of the heart, and the

interventricular septum The interventricular septum (IVS, or ventricular septum, or during development septum inferius) is the stout wall separating the ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart, from one another. The ventricular septum is directed obliquely backwar ...

Structure

The right coronary artery originates above the right aortic sinus above the

. It passes through the right coronary sulcus (right atrioventricular groove), towards the crux of the heart. It gives off many branches, including the posterior interventricular artery, the

right marginal artery The right marginal branch of right coronary artery (or right marginal artery) is the largest marginal branch of the right coronary artery. It follows the acute margin of the heart. It supplies blood to both surfaces of the right ventricle. Stru ...

, the conus artery, and the sinoatrial nodal artery.

Segments

* Proximal: starting at RCA origin, spanning half the distance to the acute margin * Middle: from proximal segment to the acute margin * Distal: from middle segment to origination point of the posterior interventricular artery, where the posterior interventricular sulcus meets the

atrioventricular groove The coronary sulcus (also called coronary groove, auriculoventricular groove, atrioventricular groove, AV groove) is a groove on the surface of the heart at the base of right auricle that separates the atria from the ventricles. The structure c ...

on the base of the heart.

Variations

In approximately 80% of patients (Right Dominant), the RCA gives off the posterior descending artery (PDA). In the other 20%, of cases (Left Dominant or Codominant), the PDA is given off by the left circumflex artery or is supplied by both the right coronary artery and the left circumflex. The PDA supplies the inferior wall, ventricular septum, and the posteromedial papillary muscle. The RCA also supplies the SA nodal artery in 60% of people. The other 40% of the time, the SA nodal artery is supplied by the left circumflex artery. Although rare, several anomalous courses of the right coronary artery have been described including origin from the left aortic sinus.

Function

The right coronary artery supplies oxygenated blood to the right atrium, the

right ventricle A ventricle is one of two large chambers toward the bottom of the heart that collect and expel blood towards the peripheral beds within the body and lungs. The blood pumped by a ventricle is supplied by an atrium, an adjacent chamber in the uppe ...

, and the posterior third and inferior end of the

. It may also supply 25% to 35% of the

left ventricle A ventricle is one of two large chambers toward the bottom of the heart that collect and expel blood towards the peripheral beds within the body and lungs. The blood pumped by a ventricle is supplied by an atrium, an adjacent chamber in the uppe ...

(LV). There is significant

overlap Overlap may refer to: * In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram. * In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases * O ...

of supply of the

coronary arteries The coronary arteries are the arterial blood vessels of coronary circulation, which transport oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. The heart requires a continuous supply of oxygen to function and survive, much like any other tissue or organ ...

. The right coronary artery is dominant over the left coronary artery 50% of the time, equal to it 20% of the time, and less significant than it 30% of the time.

Additional images

File:Coronary arteries 2.jpg, Right coronary artery File:Gray505.png, The arch of the aorta, and its branches. File:AMI scheme.png, Diagram of a myocardial infarction. File:Aortic stenosis rheumatic, gross pathology 20G0014 lores.jpg,

Aorta The aorta ( ) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries). The aorta distributes o ...

and coronary arteries at

autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any d ...

. The proximal portion of the RCA and its ostium can be seen at the lower left. File:Human heart with coronary arteries new.png, Human heart with coronary arteries File:Fetal right coronary artery.JPG, Fetal heart - right coronary artery

References

External links

Overview
at

Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation established in 1921, it runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, ...

* * () * - "Anterior view of the heart." {{Authority control Arteries of the thorax