Abdominal vagal paraganglia: distribution and comparison with carotid body, in the rat.
A study was made of the distribution of abdominal vagal paraganglia in the gastro-oesophageal region of 12 rats. In all rats 4-40 paraganglia were found embedded in, or closely associated with, the vagus nerves and their branches. The paraganglia consisted of groups of rounded, weakly chromaffin-positive cells surrounded by flattened cells and supplied by small nerves and blood vessels. The paraganglia were morphologically identical to simultaneously fixed carotid body tissue and showed similar fluorescence characteristics.
D000818:Animals; D002344:Carotid Body / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology; D002838:Chromaffin System / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010233:Paraganglia, Chromaffin / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013270:Stomach / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation*; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*