What Is the Ligamentum Arteriosum?
The fibrous connective tissue cord, which is connected from the left side of the pulmonary artery trunk to the lower edge of the aortic arch, is a vestige of the arterial duct that is blocked after birth. It is also called arterial duct cord. If the fetus is not blocked at 6 months after birth, it is called an arterial duct.
- Chinese name
- Arterial ligament
- Foreign name
- arterial ligament
- nickname
- Arterial duct
- Meaning
- Remains of arterial ducts after birth in fetus
- The fibrous connective tissue cord, which is connected from the left side of the pulmonary artery trunk to the lower edge of the aortic arch, is a vestige of the arterial duct that is blocked after birth. It is also called arterial duct cord. If the fetus is not blocked at 6 months after birth, it is called an arterial duct.
1 Arterial ligament 1. Anatomy of pulmonary artery
- The arterial ligament is between the start of the left pulmonary artery and the lower edge of the aortic arch. A thick, short trunk that delivers venous blood to the lungs. Starting from the right ventricle's pulmonary artery, it rises obliquely from the front to the left of the aorta to the upper left and rear, reaching below the aortic arch, approximately equal to the lower edge of the fourth thoracic vertebra, and divided into left and right pulmonary arteries. A little to the left of the bifurcation, there is a connective tissue fibrous cord connected between the pulmonary artery and the lower edge of the aortic arch, called an arterial ligament, or an arterial duct cord, which is a trace left after the closure of an arterial duct during the embryonic period. So during the embryonic period, blood in the pulmonary artery is directed into the aorta. This arterial catheter is blocked shortly after birth. If it is not blocked, it is called an open duct, which is one of the congenital cardiovascular diseases.
- The left pulmonary artery is short, crossing the thoracic aorta and the left bronchus to the left hilar to the left, and is divided into the upper and lower branches into the upper and lower lobe of the left lung; the right pulmonary artery is longer and rises to the right. After the aorta and superior vena cava, the front of the right bronchus and esophagus to the right hilum, it is divided into three branches that enter the upper, middle, and lower lobes of the right lung, and the left and right pulmonary arteries enter the lung through the hilum and follow the Branching and branching repeatedly, the finer and thinner, and finally formed a capillary network surrounding the alveolar wall, gas exchange is performed here. Therefore, the pulmonary artery is a functional blood vessel that transports venous blood to the lungs, and the vessels of the vegetative lung come from the branch of the thoracic aorta (bronchial artery).
2 Clinical Anatomy of Arterial Ligament 2 and Pulmonary Artery
- The pulmonary trunk starts from the right ventricular artery cone, and the body surface projection of the starting point is at the left 2nd intercostal space or the 3rd costal plane to the left of the sternum. The average length of the trunk of the pulmonary artery was 4.5 cm and the outer diameter was 3.0 cm. The average width of the trunk of the adult pulmonary artery measured by X-rays was 3.8 cm. After it is sent out, it travels to the left and up to the aortic arch, divided into left and right pulmonary arteries. The right pulmonary artery is thicker and longer, and runs rightward to the right hilum, divided into smaller upper branches (anterior trunk) distributed in the upper lobe, and larger lower branches (interstitial trunk) distributed in the middle lobe and Lower leaves. The anterior wall of the right pulmonary artery adjacent to the ascending aorta and superior vena cava is obscured, which limits the range of exposure during surgery. On the outside of the superior vena cava, there is a descending right sacral nerve in front of the right pulmonary artery, and the right superior pulmonary vein and left atrium below the anterior. There is a tight connective tissue ligament connection between the right pulmonary artery and the superior vena cava, and surgical separation is difficult. The right pulmonary artery is adjacent to the esophagus and the right main bronchus. The singular vein arches around the right main bronchus and above the right pulmonary artery into the superior vena cava.
- The left pulmonary artery is short and thin, and runs obliquely to the left, spanning the left main bronchus and the front of the thoracic aorta to the left hilum, and is generally divided into two branches located in the upper and lower lobe, respectively. The branches of the pulmonary artery are usually accompanied by bronchi. The left vagus nerve travels from the front of the aortic arch to the back of the left main bronchus, next to the upper edge of the left pulmonary artery. The lateral segment of the left pulmonary artery is adjacent to the left superior pulmonary vein and the left phrenic nerve. An arterial ligament is connected between the upper wall of the left pulmonary artery and the concave side wall of the aortic arch. The arterial ligament is formed by fetal arterial duct occlusion. The left recurrent laryngeal nerve passes through the left side of the arterial ligament and the superficial plexus on the right side. Although the left pulmonary artery is shorter than the right pulmonary artery, it is not covered by large blood vessels in the front, so it can be exposed extensively during surgery and it is easier to ligate.
- There are very few abnormalities in the extrapulmonary part of the pulmonary arteries, occasional mutations of origin, and irregular or stunted pulmonary arteries. Pulmonary arteries of abnormal origin can originate from the ascending aorta, thoracic aorta, abdominal aorta, subclavian arteries or intercostal arteries. This kind of abnormality is considered to be the enlargement of the arteries that distribute in the lungs after connecting the autonomic arteries during perinatal period.