[Functional architecture of the ligamentum arteriosum in adults].
The ligamentum arteriosum was studied in eight normal adult human hearts obtained at autopsy. Four of these hearts were treated by the Zemper method and extensively dissected under a steromicroscope (from X 6 up to X 40); two were embedded in celloidin and sectioned at 100mugm; two were embedded in paraffin and sectioned one 50mugm and the other at 75 mugm. Section were stained by the axan and the resorcin-fuchsin methods. Unstained sections were examined under polarized light. The ligamentum arteriosum may be considered as a small smooth muscle, whose origin is in the arteria pulmonalis sinistra and the insertion in the arcus aortae. Therefore, the ligamentum arterisum may be considered as a myoelastic system, included in a collagenous stroma. Muscle, elastic and collagen fibers present a cross-spiral disposition. Being a myoelastic system with a collagen component, the ligamentum arteriosum cannot be considered as a simple arcus aortae support; it must play some functional role in controlling the arcus aortae curvature during the several different steps of the cardiac cycle.
D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy; D003094:Collagen; D004373:Ductus Arteriosus / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008022:Ligaments / Q000473:pathology*; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology
D003094:Collagen
Beitrag zur kenntnis der funktionellen architektur des ligamentum arteriosum beim erwachsenen menschen