16/01/2026
Coronary Artery Territories Explained
Each of the major epicardial coronary arteries supplies a specific region of the heart muscle. During an ultrasound (echo) exam, these regions can be mapped to assess myocardial perfusion and wall motion.
To standardize interpretation, the left ventricle (LV) is divided along its long axis into four main walls: anterior, inferior, septal, and lateral. At the basal and midventricular levels, both the septal and lateral walls are further split into anterior and inferior segments.
Across short-axis views, each wall is subdivided into three levels:
🔲 Basal
🔲 Mid
🔲 Apical
The very tip of the LV, beyond the cavity, forms the apical cap. In total, this creates a 17-segment model of the LV, widely used in echocardiography for assessing wall motion and perfusion.
Coronary Supply
Most of the heart's blood supply comes from the left main coronary artery, which branches into:
1️⃣ The Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery
2️⃣The Left Circumflex (LCx) artery
🔹 The LAD primarily supplies the anterior wall and the anterior two-thirds of the septum via septal branches. It also gives off diagonal branches that supply the anterolateral wall. In some individuals, a long LAD may wrap around the apex to supply part of the inferior wall.
🔹 The LCx runs along the atrioventricular (AV) groove and gives off obtuse marginal branches that supply the inferolateral wall.
🔹 The Right Coronary Artery (RCA) supplies the inferior one-third of the septum, the inferior wall, and also provides blood to the right ventricle.
This structured layout helps echo readers correlate coronary anatomy with the 17 LV segments, essential for diagnosing regional ischemia or infarction.
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