Week 3: The heart Flashcards
What vessels are given off by the arch of the aorta?
Brachiocephalic artery, left common carotid artery and left subclavian artery
What is the plane of Louis?
The imaginary plane that divides the thorax horizontally at the height of the manubriosternal joint and the T4/T5 intervertebral disc.
What veins combine to form the brachiocephalic veins?
The subclavian vein and the internal jugular vein.
The plane of Louis divides the mediastinum into…
2 parts. The superior and inferior mediastinum.
What is the ligamentum arteriosum?
The thick ligament connecting the bottom of the aorta and the top of the pulmonary trunk. It is the remnant of the ductus arteriosus.
The recurrent laryngeal n. is a branch from the
Vagus n.
List the branches coming out of the descending aorta
Oesophageal branches, posterior intercostal branches and bronchial arteries
Azygous vein
Right side
Hemiazygous and accessory hemiazygous veins
Left side
Where is the superior mediastinum?
Above the plane of Louis and below the superior thoracic aperture
Where is the inferior mediastinum? And what are its divisions?
Below the plane of Louis and above the diaphragm. It can be divided into the anterior, middle, and posterior mediastinum.
What nerves can we find in the superior mediastinum?
Right and left: vagus n., phrenic n., recurrent laryngeal n.
Why can I say that the phrenic n. is the Beyonce of the nerves in the superior mediastinum?
Because it runs anterior (in front) of all the other structures.
What great veins are located in the superior mediastinum?
Brachiocephalic veins (R and L). Each trunk is formed by the subclavian vein and the internal jugular veins joining together.
What structures do we find in the anterior mediastinum?
Not many. The inferior part of the thymus in children, and in both children and adults:
Fat
Lymph nodes
Internal thoracic vessels
