Product Code Database
A pulmonary artery is an artery in the pulmonary circulation that carries deoxygenated blood from the left side of the heart to the . The largest pulmonary artery is the main pulmonary artery or pulmonary trunk from the heart, and the smallest ones are the , which lead to the Capillary that surround the pulmonary alveoli.
The pulmonary trunk splits into the right and the left main pulmonary artery. The left main pulmonary artery is shorter than the right, passes behind and downwards the descending aorta and above the left main bronchus to the root of the left lung. Above, the left main pulmonary artery is connected to the concavity of the proximal descending aorta by the ligamentum arteriosum. (2025). 9789350252758, JP Medical Ltd.. ISBN 9789350252758 The right pulmonary artery pass across the midline of the body, below the carina of trachea, and comes in front of the right main bronchus.
At the right root of the lung, it bifurcates into artery that supplies the right upper lobe of the lung, in front of the right upper lobe bronchus, and interlobar artery that supplies the right middle and inferior lobes of the lung, running together with bronchus intermedius.
The right and left main pulmonary (lungs) arteries give off branches that supplies the corresponding . In such cases it is termed lobar arteries. The lobar arteries branch into segmental arteries (roughly 1 for each segment). Segmental arteries run together with segmental bronchi, at the posterolateral surfaces of the bronchi. These in turn branch into subsegmental pulmonary arteries. These eventually form intralobular arteries. The pulmonary arteries supply the alveoli of the lungs. In contrast, bronchial arteries, that has different origins, supply the bronchi of the lungs.
By the third week of development, the endocardial tubes have developed a swelling in the part closest to the heart. The swelling is known as the bulbus cordis and the upper part of this swelling develops into the truncus arteriosus. The structure is ultimately mesodermal in origin. During development of the heart, the heart tissues undergo folding, and the truncus arteriosus is exposed to what will eventually be both the left and right ventricles. As a septum develops between the two ventricles of the heart, two bulges form on either side of the truncus arteriosus. These progressively enlarge until the trunk splits into the aorta and pulmonary arteries. Failure of these processes can lead to pulmonary artery agenesis.
During early development, the ductus arteriosus connects the pulmonary trunk and the aortic arch, allowing blood to bypass the lungs.
In contrast to the pulmonary arteries, the bronchial arteries supply nutrition to the lungs themselves.
Pulmonary embolism refers to an embolus that lodges in the pulmonary circulation. This may arise from a deep venous thrombosis, especially after a period of immobility. A pulmonary embolus is a common cause of death in patients with cancer and stroke. A large pulmonary embolus that becomes lodged in the bifurcation of the pulmonary trunk with extensions into both the left and right main pulmonary arteries is called a saddle embolus.
Several animal models have been utilized for investigating pulmonary artery related pathologies. Porcine model of pulmonary artery is the most frequently used and it was recently found that their mechanical properties vary with every subsequent branching.
==Additional images==
|
|
