What is the term for the oval, depressed area on the adult interatrial septal wall?

The oval, depressed area on the adult interatrial septal wall is known as the fossa ovalis. This structure is a remnant of the foramen ovale, which is an opening in the fetal heart that allows blood to bypass the non-functioning fetal lungs by flowing directly from the right atrium to the left atrium. After birth, the foramen ovale typically closes, leaving behind the fossa ovalis as a depression in the interatrial septum.

Understanding the fossa ovalis is important in cardiology and perfusion because it can be a site of potential abnormalities, including atrial septal defects. An awareness of this structure's anatomy is essential for evaluating congenital heart conditions and during certain cardiac procedures.

The other options refer to different structures or conditions: a septal defect indicates a hole in the septum between heart chambers; the interatrial notch is not a term typically used in anatomical descriptions and does not specifically refer to the fossa ovalis; and the coronary sinus is a large cardiac vein that collects blood from the heart muscle, unrelated to the interatrial septum.