auricle (right atrium, anatomy)

Last reviewed 01/2018

The auricle of the right atrium is the most superior structure within the chamber. It is a blind-ending saccule that is in continuity with the anterior wall of the chamber. Its inner surface is lined by musculi pectinati.

On the external surface of the heart, the right atrial auricle projects from the superior vena cava, anterior to the root of the ascending aorta and the superior part of the right atrioventricular groove, to the left margin of the root of the pulmonary trunk.

The right atrium is shorter, broader and straighter in its course than its counterpart in the left atrium.