Introduction

Understanding cardiac anatomy is one of the fundamental pillars in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cardiac disease. From the description of the heart and its interdependence with neighbouring organs such as the lungs, the gastrointestinal tract (oesophagus and stomach), and the diaphragm, this section gives an overview of the relevant cardiac anatomy every cardiologist should know. Important relationships of the various cardiac structures are emphasized in this section, and moving to pathological conditions, both atrial and ventricular myocardial conditions are described and findings from ‘functional’ anatomical studies are demonstrated. Lastly, ventricular myocardial perfusion imaging is examined and correlated with the underlying findings in cardiac morphology investigations. This last chapter should enable the reader to put the findings from various diagnostic studies of individual patients into context with the anatomical findings from a structural to a myocardial/histological aspect and thereby enhance their understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of a given condition.