Vessel Definitions Flashcards
Aorta
Begins at the aortic valve of the heart. Thoracic aorta ends and abdominal
aorta begins at the diaphragm. Abdominal aorta tapers distally and ends at the
bifurcation of the iliac arteries.
Innominate artery
Begins at the aortic arch (first branch) and ends at the bifurca-
tion into right common carotid and right subclavian arteries.
Left common carotid artery
Begins at aortic arch (second branch) and ends at the
carotid bifurcation.
Left subclavian artery
Begins at aortic arch (third branch) and ends at the
thoracic outlet.
Right common carotid artery
Begins at innominate bifurcation and ends at
carotid bifurcation. The thyroid gland is medial to it proximally.
Internal carotid artery
Begins at common carotid bifurcation and ends at the circle of Willis.
Right subclavian artery
Begins at the innominate bifurcation and ends at the
thoracic outlet, passing over the first rib.
Axillary artery
Begins at the thoracic outlet and ends at the insertion of the teres
major muscle in the upper arm (adjacent to the junction of basilic vein with
proximal brachial/distal axillary vein).
Brachial artery
Begins at the insertion of the teres major muscle and ends at the
bifurcation into radial and ulnar arteries slightly distal to the level of the
antecubital fossa.
Celiac trunk (celiac axis)
Begins at the proximal abdominal aorta and ends
quickly at the bifurcation into hepatic (right) and splenic (left) arteries.
Superior mesenteric artery
Begins at the abdominal aorta just distal to the celiac
trunk and branches to perfuse the small intestine
Common iliac artery
Begins at the aortic bifurcation and ends at the bifurcation into internal and external iliac arteries.
External iliac artery
Begins at the common iliac bifurcation and ends at the
inguinal ligament.
Common femoral artery
Begins at the inguinal ligament and ends at the bifurcation into superficial and deep femoral arteries at about the level of the saphenofemoral junction.
Superficial femoral artery
Begins at the common femoral bifurcation, courses through the adductor canal in the mid thigh, and ends at the adductor hiatus in the distal thigh.
Popliteal artery
Begins at the adductor hiatus and ends at the bifurcation into anterior tibial and tibioperoneal trunk arteries.
Anterior tibial artery
Begins at the popliteal bifurcation, courses just deep to the interosseous membrane between the tibia and fibula in the anterior lower leg, and ends at the bend of the ankle and foot.
Dorsalis pedis artery
Begins at the bend of the foot (distal anterior tibial artery) and ends about halfway down the dorsum of the foot as it bifurcates into the deep plantar and arcuate arteries.
Tibioperoneal trunk
Begins at the popliteal bifurcation and ends at the bifurcation into peroneal and posterior tibial arteries, about one-quarter of the way down the calf.
Posterior tibial artery
Begins at the tibioperoneal bifurcation, courses just deep to the soleal septum down the medial calf, posterior to the medial malleolus, and ends a bit distal to the malleolus as it bifurcates into plantar artery branches.
Peroneal artery
Begins at the tibioperoneal trunk bifurcation, courses near the posterior aspect of the fibula, and ends (in some small terminal branches that we don’t care about at this point) near the lateral malleolus.
Vente comitantes
Major deep veins that follow the corresponding arteries
Common femoral vein
Proximal limit is the inguinal ligament; distal limit is the division into the superficial femoral and deep femoral veins, about one to two centimeters distal to the arterial bifurcation.
Greater saphenous vein
Proximal limit is at the common femoral vein (sapheno-femoral junction), just distal to the inguinal ligament and at about the same level as the femoral arterial bifurcation. This vein courses medially down the thigh, somewhat posteromedially in the distal thigh and then somewhat more anteromedially in the calf. It runs anterior to the medial malleolus and onto the dorsum of the foot.
Lesser saphenous vein
Proximal limit is usually at the somewhat proximal popliteal vein. This vein then runs down the posterior calf to end near the lateral malleolus.
Cephalic vein
Proximal limit is at the axillary vein just below the clavicle. It runs down the arm lateral to the biceps muscle, then down the lateral forearm. The distal limit varies from individual to individual.
Basilic vein
Proximal limit is at the distal limit of the axillary vein at the level of the teres major tendons. This vein runs down the medial biceps musce, near the brachial veins, and, to a variable extent, down the medial forearm.
Median cubital vein
This vein joins the cephalic and basilic veins at about the level of the antecubital fossa. There are many possible variations here, including those involving the median cephalic and median basilic veins, which join somewhere in the middle of the antecubital fossa.
Internal jugular vein
Runs down the neck from the base of the skull along the lateral side of the internal carotid and common carotid arteries and joins the innominate vein at its junction with the subclavian vein.
In which locations are there 2 corresponding veins per each artery?
Calf, forearm, brachial arteries
