UNIVERSIDAD DE ORIENTE

NÚCLEO DE BOLIVAR
DEPARTAMENTO SOCIO-HUMANISTICO
ASIGNATURA: INGLES INSTRUMENTAL
DR. PEDRO A. RASSE M.

Major arteries of the body

Major arteries
By definition, an artery is a vessel that conducts blood from the heart to the periphery. All arteries carry
oxygenated blood–except for the pulmonary artery. The largest artery in the body is the aorta and it is
divided into four parts: ascending aorta, aortic arch, thoracic aorta, and abdominal aorta.

After receiving blood directly from the left ventricle of the heart, the aorta descends through the thorax and
abdomen–giving rise to many branches that supply all the body regions with nutrient rich, oxygenated blood.

Head and neck

Blood supply for the head and neck comes from the branches of the aortic arch: brachiocephalic trunk, left
common carotid artery and left subclavian artery.

 The brachiocephalic trunk gives rise to the right common carotid and right subclavian arteries.
 The common carotid arteries each branch into the internal and external carotid arteries. Internal
carotid arteries together with vertebral arteries supply the brain, while external carotid arteries supply
the face and neck.
 The subclavian arteries give rise to vertebral arteries, and then continue on to the axilla, where
they become axillary arteries and supply the upper limb.

Trunk
Arteries of the trunk include the: thoracic aorta, celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, inferior mesenteric
artery, and common iliac arteries (with its terminal branches internal iliac and external iliac arteries).

The thoracic aorta is the part of descending aorta that passes through the thorax. It supplies the
mediastinum, bronchi, esophagus, pericardium, and thoracic surface of the diaphragm with its arterial
branches. The abdomen is supplied by the branches of the abdominal aorta: celiac trunk, renal artery,
gonadal artery, mesenteric arteries, and common iliac arteries. They supply the stomach, liver, spleen,
gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, as well as the testes in males, and ovaries and uterus in females.

The terminal branches of abdominal aorta are the common iliac arteries. They bifurcate into their own two
terminal branches (internal and external) with the internal iliac supplying the pelvis and the external iliac
continuing down the lower limb as the femoral artery.

Upper extremity
The main artery of the upper limb is the axillary artery. It is a continuation of the subclavian artery. The
axillary artery continues down the upper arm as the brachial artery, then splits into the ulnar and radial
arteries in the forearm. The hand is supplied by the terminal branches of the ulnar and radial arteries, which
anastomose and form two arterial arches: superficial and deep palmar arches.

Lower extremity
The main artery of the lower limb is the femoral artery and its continuation–the popliteal artery. The femoral
artery supplies the gluteal region and the thigh before it continues as the popliteal artery in the posterior
knee.

The popliteal artery then supplies the knee region, before splitting into two branches which supply the leg:
anterior tibial and posterior tibial (gives off the fibular artery as a branch). These three arteries supply the leg.
The foot is supplied by the dorsalis pedis artery (a continuation of the anterior tibial artery) and the posterior
tibial artery.