Left coronary artery
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Synonyms and keywords: LCA
Overview
The left coronary artery normally arises from the aorta above the left cusp of the aortic valve. The origin of the left coronary artery is called the left main coronary artery, and it bifurcates into the left anterior descending and the left circumflex artery. This artery supplies the majority of the blood flow to the left ventricle, the pumping chamber of the heart.
Branching
The left coronary artery typically courses for 1 to 25 mm as the left main artery, and then bifurcates into the anterior interventricular artery (also called left anterior descending (LAD)) artery and the left circumflex artery (LCX).
If an artery arises from the left main between the LAD and LCX, it is known as the ramus intermedius. The ramus intermedius occurs in 37% of the general population, and is considered a normal variant.
Additional images
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A coronary angiogram that shows the LMCA, LAD and LCX
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A coronary angiogram that shows the LMCA, LAD and LCX
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A coronary angiogram that shows the LMCA, LAD and LCX
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A coronary angiogram that shows the LMCA, LAD and LCX
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A coronary angiogram that shows the LMCA, LAD and LCX
See also