The internal partitions forming the four chambers of the heart produce grooves on the external surface called external sulci.

The coronary sulcus circles the heart, marking the separation between the atria and the ventricles. It contains the right coronary artery, the small cardiac vein, the coronary sinus, and the circumflex branch of the left coronary artery.

The anterior and posterior interventricular sulci mark the separation of the two ventricles. The anterior interventricular sulcus is found on the anterior surface of the heart and it contains the anterior interventricular artery and the great cardiac vein. The posterior interventricular sulcus is found on the diaphragmatic surface and contains the posterior interventricular artery and the middle cardiac vein.

All of these external sulci are continuous with each other inferiorly, just to the right of the apex of the heart.

The area on the lower back side of the heart where the coronary sulcus and the posterior interventricular sulcus meet is called the cardiac crux or crux of the heart.

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External sulci