title: Orbital venous pattern in relation to extraorbital venous drainage and superficial lymphatic vessels in rats.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the normal and variant anatomy of extraorbital and intraorbital venous drainage together with retroorbital communication, and determine the lymphatic drainage from the superficial orbital region with a potential outlet of lymphatic vessel into the venous bloodstream. The study of the venous system was carried out on 32 Wistar rats by using corrosion casts methods and radiography, while the lymphatic system was studied in 12 Wistar rats following ink injection. Superficially, orbital veins are connected with extraorbital veins running through angular vein of the eye and the superficial temporal vein, and via the pterygoid plexus with the maxillary vein, which provide readily accessible communication routes in the spread of infection. The extent of intraorbital and periorbital venous drainage was ensured by the dorsal and ventral external ophthalmic vein through the infraorbital vein, which together formed the principal part of the ophthalmic plexus. Venous drainage of the eyeball was carried out mainly by the vortex veins, ciliary veins and internal ophthalmic vein. The highest variability, first presented by differences in structural arrangement and formation of anastomoses, was observed within the ventral external ophthalmic vein (22 cases) and the medial vortex vein (10 cases). Four vortex veins, one vein in each quadrant of the eye, were observed in rats. The vortex vein located on the ventral side of the eyeball was occasionally found as two veins (in four cases) in the present study. The lymphatic vessel from the lower eyelid entered into the mandibular lymph centre, and from the upper eyelid entered into the superficial cervical lymph centre, but both drained into the deep cranial cervical lymph node. The direct entry of lymph entering the veins without passing through lymph nodes was not observed.
authors: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors: Marcela
authors: M
authors: Maloveska
authors: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic. lenkakresak@gmail.com.
authors: Lenka
authors: L
authors: Kresakova
authors: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors: Katarina
authors: K
authors: Vdoviakova
authors: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Petrovova
authors: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique.
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Elias
authors: Slovak Eastern Institute of Heart Disease, Ondavská 8, 040 11, Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors: Artemiou
authors: A
authors: Panagiotis
authors: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors: Zuzana
authors: Z
authors: Andrejcakova
authors: Institute of Nutrition, Dietetics and Feed Production, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Supuka
authors: Unit of Anatomy, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors: Halina
authors: H
authors: Purzyc
authors: Department of Pathological Anatomy and Pathological Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors: Viktoria
authors: V
authors: Kissova
mesh_terms: D063405:Anatomic Variation; D000818:Animals; D016319:Corrosion Casting / Q000379:methods; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D009915:Orbit / Q000098:blood supply*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014680:Veins / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
keywords: Corrosion casting; Lymphatic vessels; Orbit; Rats; Veins