Middle cardiac vein
Vena media cordis interventricularis inferior
A cardiac vein rising from the apex in the posterior interventricular groove to empty into the right end of the coronary sinus.
At a glance
- English
- Middle cardiac vein
- Latin (TA2)
- Vena media cordis interventricularis inferior
- System
- Vein
- Region
- Trunk
- Side
- Single, on the midline
About the middle cardiac vein
The middle cardiac vein, also known as the posterior or inferior interventricular vein, drains the diaphragmatic surface of the heart. It begins near the apex, where it often communicates with the start of the great cardiac vein, and climbs in the posterior interventricular groove, the furrow on the underside of the heart that marks the line of the interventricular septum. It ends close to the right-hand end of the sinus, just before the sinus opens into the right atrium, and occasionally enters the right atrium directly.
Throughout its course it lies beside the posterior interventricular artery, which in most hearts is a branch of the right coronary artery. Small tributaries join it from both sides, collecting blood from the inferior walls of the right and left ventricles and from the back part of the interventricular septum. Its position on the ventricular surface is very constant, which makes it one of the most reliable landmarks among the cardiac veins.
Together with the great and small cardiac veins, it is one of the main tributaries of the coronary sinus. Its mouth is often large, and a small valve may be present where it joins the sinus.
Its constant position makes the middle cardiac vein a useful route to the inferior aspect of the ventricles. Electrophysiologists use it for catheter mapping and ablation of accessory pathways and other rhythm disorders arising near the back of the heart, and it gives an entry point to the space around the heart for epicardial procedures on the inferior wall. It can also hold a pacing lead for the left ventricle when other veins are unsuitable. Because it runs alongside the posterior interventricular artery, surgeons must take care to identify the vein when grafting that artery.
Course and drainage
- Begins at
- Begins near the apex of the heart, often in continuity with the great cardiac vein.
- Drains into
- Ascends in the posterior interventricular groove to open into the right end of the coronary sinus, occasionally directly into the right atrium.
- Drains
- Drains the inferior (diaphragmatic) walls of both ventricles and the posterior part of the interventricular septum.
Anthromica
See the middle cardiac vein where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
