coronary artery
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Function
- the coronary arteries supply blood to the heart
- blood flow is maximal during diastole.
Origin
- their origins are at the base of the aorta, within the right & left aortic sinuses just above the aortic valve
Anastomoses
- anastomoses between branches of the major coronary arteries under normal circumstances is small, but may increase substantially in number & size in patients with severe stenosis of a major coronary vessel.
Pathology
- occlusion of the coronary arteries occurs in coronary artery disease Special lahoratory:
- patency of the coronary arteries is assessed by cardiac catheterization & coronary angiography.
More general terms
More specific terms
- atrioventricular (AV) nodal artery
- left anterior descending [LAD] coronary artery (anterior interventricular artery)
- left circumflex coronary artery
- left main coronary artery
- left marginal coronary artery
- posterior interventricular (descending) artery
- right coronary artery (RCA)
- right marginal coronary artery
- sinuatrial (SA) nodal artery
Additional terms
- aortic sinus (of Valsalva)
- coronary angiography
- coronary artery disease; coronary atherosclerosis (CAD)