The Vascular System Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the anatomy, structure, and major vessels of the vascular system including the Abdominal Aorta, IVC, and Portal Venous System.

Arteries

Hollow elastic tubes that carry blood away from the heart.

Veins

Hollow collapsible tubes with diminished tunica media that carry blood to the heart and contain special valves to prevent backflow.

Arterioles

Small branches of arteries that lead into capillaries.

Capillaries

Minute, hair-sized vessels with one-layered walls where the exchange of blood and tissue fluid takes place.

Venules

Small vessels that collect blood from capillaries and unite to form larger veins.

Tunica intima

The inner layer of a vascular structure consisting of endothelial cells lining the lumen, delicate connective tissue, and an elastic layer.

Tunica media

The middle layer of a vascular structure consisting of smooth muscle fibers with elastic and collagenous tissue.

Tunica adventitia

The external layer of a vascular structure consisting of connective tissue with bundles of smooth muscle fibers and elastic tissue.

Abdominal Aorta

The largest main artery in the body that courses through the abdomen and bifurcates into the Common Iliac Arteries; normal diameter is $< 33cm$ or $30\,mm$.

Celiac Trunk

The first anterior branch of the Abdominal Aorta, arising $1-2\,cm$ inferior to the diaphragm, branching into the Common Hepatic, Left Gastric, and Splenic arteries.

Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA)

An anterior branch of the Abdominal Aorta that arises $2\,cm$ inferior to the celiac trunk and supplies the proximal half of the colon and small bowel.

Inferior Mesenteric Artery (IMA)

An anterior branch of the Abdominal Aorta arising at the level of the 3rd or 4th lumbar vertebrae to supply the transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon, and the rectum.

Common Iliac Arteries

Vessels that arise at the bifurcation of the abdominal aorta at the level of the 4th lumbar vertebra.

Inferior Vena Cava (IVC)

A vessel formed by the union of common iliac veins at the 5th lumbar vertebrae that carries deoxygenated blood to the right atrium; normal diameter is $< 2\,cm$ or $20\,mm$.

Hepatic Veins

The largest visceral tributaries of the IVC (divided into right, middle, and left) that drain the liver and empty into the IVC at the level of the diaphragm.

Portal Venous System

A system formed by the union of the SMV and Splenic Vein that carries blood from the intestinal tract and spleen to the liver.

Hepatopetal

Continuous steady flow directed toward the liver, typically seen in the portal venous system with velocities ranging from $10$ to $30\,cm/s$.

Superior Mesenteric Vein (SMV)

A vein that passes anterior to the duodenum and posterior to the neck of the pancreas to join the splenic vein, forming the main portal vein.

Portal Triad

A collection of three structures: the Main Portal Vein, the Hepatic Artery, and the Common Bile Duct.

Left Renal Vein (LRV)

A vein that flows from the left kidney hilum, passing posterior to the SMA and anterior to the aorta to enter the IVC.

Right Renal Artery (RRA)

A lateral branch of the Abdominal Aorta that courses posterior to the IVC to enter the right renal hilum.