Final answer:
The fossa ovalis is located in the right atrium of the heart, marking the spot of the closed foramen ovale. It is important in the separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood and is surrounded by structures such as the tricuspid valve and inferior vena cava.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fossa ovalis is a small depression in the wall of the right atrium of the heart. This structure is of clinical significance because it marks the location of the former foramen ovale, a shunt that allowed blood to bypass the fetal lungs by directly flowing from the right atrium to the left atrium. After birth, as the newborn starts to breathe and pressures change within the heart, the foramen ovale closes, and the fossa ovalis remains as a permanent feature, dividing deoxygenated and oxygenated blood.
Within the anatomy of the heart, adjacent structures such as the tricuspid valve and the inferior vena cava are also associated with the right atrium, while the right ventricle lies below, separated by the tricuspid valve. The right ventricle contains structural features like the chordae tendineae, which are attached to heart valves, and the trabeculae carneae with the moderator band, which are muscle ridges and bands inside the ventricles.