Cardiac Anatomy

Describe the anatomy of the heart, the pericardium and coronary circulation

Echocardiographic Anatomy

The left ventricle is:

• Divided into four parts
  From base to apex, in equal thirds along the long axis of the ventricle:
  • Basal
  • Mid-cavity
    Identified by presence of the papillary muscles.
  • Apical
  • Apex
    Tip of the ventricle, beyond where the cavity ends.
• Each part is divided into segments
  Total of seventeen segments between:
  • 6 basal and mid-cavity segments
    • Inferior
      Mid-cavity contains the postero-medial papillary muscle.
    • Inferoseptal
    • Inferolateral
    • Anterior
    • Antero-septal
    • Antero-lateral
      Mid-cavity contains the anterolateral papillary muscle.
  • 4 apical segments
    • Inferior
    • Anterior
    • Lateral
    • Septal
  • Apical cap

Coronary Supply

The segments of the basal and mid-cavity parts are supplied by all three vessels:

In the apical part, the:

• LAD
  Supplies:
  • Anterior
  • Septal
• LCx
  Supplies:
  • Lateral
• RCA
  Supplies:
  • Inferior

The apical cap is supplied by the LAD.

References

1. Alfred Anaesthetic Department Primary Exam Tutorial Series
2. AHA 17 Segment Model. PMOD.