ArticlesAnatomyThoraxHeartRight marginal artery

ArticlesAnatomyThoraxHeartRight marginal artery

Right marginal artery

Author: Jana Vasković, MD • Reviewer: Nicola McLaren, MSc
Last reviewed: November 03, 2023
Reading time: 3 minutes

Right marginal artery (Arteria marginalis dextra)

The right marginal artery is a branch of the right coronary artery. It supplies the majority of the myocardium of the right ventricle of the heart. Some authors refer to this artery as the acute marginal artery, or the right marginal branch of right coronary artery.

The right marginal artery gives off several collateral branches to supply the adjacent surfaces of the right ventricle. It terminates by anastomosing with the branches of the anterior interventricular artery.

This article will discuss the anatomy and function of the right marginal artery.

Key facts about the right marginal artery
Source	Right coronary artery (RCA)
Branches	Unnamed collateral branches for the right ventricle
Supply	Right margin of heart, anterior and inferior surfaces of right ventricle

Contents

Origin and course
Branches and supply
Sources

+ Show all

Origin and course

The right marginal artery originates from the right coronary artery at the inferior (acute) margin of the heart, as one of its largest branches. It courses along the inferior margin towards the apex of the heart, being followed by the right marginal vein. Sometimes the origin of the artery is located more proximally on the trunk of the right coronary artery. In this case, the artery descends obliquely downward over the anterior surface of the right ventricle.

The right marginal artery shares its supply territory with the anterior and posterior interventricular (IV) branches of the right coronary artery. For this reason, its size and length are inversely proportional to that of the IV branches. If the IV branches are poorly developed, then the right marginal artery usually reaches the apex of the heart where it anastomoses with the collateral branches of the anterior interventricular artery, a branch of the left coronary artery.

Branches and supply

The right marginal artery gives off several collateral branches along its course that directly supply the surrounding myocardium. The supply territory of the right marginal artery is the right margin of the heart and the anterior and inferior surfaces of the right ventricle.

Learn everything about the coronary arteries and blood supply to the heart with our articles, video tutorial, quizzes and labeled diagrams:

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

References:

Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F., & Agur, A. M. R. (2014). Clinically Oriented Anatomy (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Netter, F. (2019). Atlas of Human Anatomy (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Saunders.
Standring, S. (2016). Gray's Anatomy (41st ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.
Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M., Loukas, M., & Bergman, R. A. (2016). Bergman’s comprehensive encyclopedia of human anatomic variation. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell.

Illustrations:

Right marginal artery (Arteria marginalis dextra) - Yousun Koh
Overview of coronary arteries and cardiac veins - Yousun Koh

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