atrioventricular groove


cor·o·nar·y sul·cus

[TA] a groove on the outer surface of the heart marking the division between the atria and the ventricles. Synonym(s): sulcus coronarius [TA], atrioventricular groove, atrioventricular sulcus, auriculoventricular groove, coronary groove

atrioventricular groove

A furrow running circumferentially around the heart's surface and separating the atria from the ventricles; it is approximately perpendicular to the interventricular groove The atrioventricular groove is obscured on the anterior (front) surface of the heart by the pulmonary trunk and the aorta as they emerge from the heart. For parts of their courses, the major epicardial blood vessels run in the atrioventricular groove. Synonym: atrioventricular sulcus, coronary groove, coronary sulcus See also: groove