The arteries that supply the myocardium of the heart are called coronary arteries.
Description
The heart muscle, like any other organ or tissue in the body, needs oxygen-rich blood to survive. The heart receives blood through its own vascular system. This is called the “coronary circulation.”
The aorta (the body’s main blood supply tube) branches into two main coronary blood vessels (also called “arteries”). These coronary arteries branch into smaller arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the entire heart muscle .
The right coronary artery supplies blood mainly to the right side of the heart. The right side of the heart is smaller because it pumps blood only to the lungs.
The left coronary artery , which branches into the left anterior descending artery and the circumflex artery, supplies blood to the left side of the heart . The left side of the heart is larger and more muscular because it pumps blood to the rest of the body.