circulatory anastomosis

(noun)

A connection between two blood vessels, such as between arteries (arterio-arterial anastomosis), between veins (veno-venous anastomosis), or between an artery and a vein (arterio-venous anastomosis).

Related Terms

Examples of circulatory anastomosis in the following topics:

  • Anastomoses

    • A circulatory anastomosis is a connection or looped interaction between two blood vessels.
    • An anastomosis refers to any join between two vessels.
    • Circulatory anastomoses are named based on the vessels they join: two arteries (arterio-arterial anastomosis), two veins (veno-venous anastomosis), or between an artery and a vein (arterio-venous anastomosis).
    • However, this can only occur if the atheroma progresses slowly, giving the anastomosis time to form.
    • They can be very severe if they result in the bypassing of key tissues by the circulatory system.

  • Blood Flow in the Brain

    • Since the brain is very vulnerable to compromises in its blood supply, the cerebral circulatory system has many safeguards.
    • The circle of Willis, a circulatory anastomosis that supplies blood to the brain and surrounding structures while providing redundancy in case of any interruption, is a key protection.

  • Development of the Cardiovascular System

    • The circulatory system develops initially via vasculogenesis, with the arterial and venous systems developing from distinct embryonic areas.
    • The development of the circulatory system initially occurs by the process of vasculogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels when there are no preexisting ones.
    • On the obliteration of the stapedial artery, this anastomosis enlarges and forms the internal maxillary artery; the branches of the stapedial artery are now branches of this vessel.

  • Nerve and Blood Supply

    • The blood supply of a synovial joint comes from the arteries sharing in anastomosis around the joint.

  • Introduction to Blood Flow, Pressure, and Resistance

    • The circulatory system is the continuous system of tubes that pumps blood to tissues and organs throughout the body.
    • The circulatory system is the continuous system of tubes through which the blood is pumped around the body.
    • Resistance to flow must be overcome to push blood through the circulatory system.
    • The arterioles and capillary networks are the main regions of the circulatory system that generate resistance, due the small caliber of their lumen.
    • Flow is the movement of the blood around the circulatory system.

  • Blood Vessel Function

    • The circulatory system is transports blood through the body to perform these actions, facilitated by the extensive network of blood vessels.
    • The circulatory system can be split into two sections, systemic and pulmonary.
    • In the systemic circulatory system, highly oxygenated blood (95-100%) is pumped from the left ventricle of the heart and into the arteries of the body.
    • This completes the pulmonary circulatory system.
    • This simplified diagram of the human circulatory system (anterior view) shows arteries in red and veins in blue.

  • Sinusoid Development

    • The superior mesenteric vein opens into the middle or dorsal anastomosis.

  • Transport of Hormones

    • The endocrine system is a system of ductless glands that secrete hormones directly into the circulatory system to be carried long distances to other target organs that regulate key body and organ functions.
    • Once within the circulatory system a small proportion of hormones circulate freely, however the majority are bound with a transport protein.
    • Therefore, transport proteins can act as a reservoir within the circulatory system and help insure an even distribution of hormones within an organ or tissue.

  • Structure of the Lymphatic System

    • It is a circulatory system for lymph fluid and the site of many key immune system functions.
    • The lymphatic vessels are the lymphatic system equivalent of the blood vessels of the circulatory system and drain fluid from the circulatory system.
    • In general, the lymph vessels bring lymph fluid toward the heart and above it to the subclavian veins, which enable lymph fluid to re-enter the circulatory system through the vena cava.

  • Control of the Pituitary Gland by the Hypothalamus

    • The anterior lobe of the pituitary receives hypothalamic-releasing hormones from the hypothalamus that bind with receptors on endocrine cells in the anterior pituitary that regulate the release of adrenal hormones into the circulatory system.
    • Hormones from the hypothalamus are rapidly degraded in the anterior pituitary, which prevents them from entering the circulatory system.