Attitudinally correct cardiac anatomy

Abstract

Anatomy is one of the oldest branches of medicine, dating back as far as the third century bc. Throughout time, the discipline has been served well by a universal system for describing structures based on the anatomic position. Unfortunately, cardiac anatomy has been a detractor from this long-standing tradition and has commonly been incorrectly described using confusing and inappropriate nomenclature. This is most likely due to the examination of the heart in the Valentine position, in which the heart stands on its apex, as opposed to how it is actually oriented in the body. The description of the major coronary arteries, such as the anterior descending and posterior descending, is attitudinally incorrect; as the heart is oriented in the body, the surfaces are actually superior and inferior. An overview of attitudinally correct human anatomy, the problem areas, and the comparative aspects of attitudinally correct anatomy will be presented in this chapter.