Ligamentum arteriosum
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| Ligament: Ligamentum arteriosum | ||
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| The middle and posterior mediastina. Left side. (Lig. arteriosum labeled at upper right.) | ||
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| Heart of dog. 1. left ventricle 2. anterior interventricular sulcus 3. right ventricle 4. conus arteriosus 5. pulmonary artery 6. Ligamentum arteriosum 7. aortic arch 8. brachiocephalic artery 9. left subclavian artery 10. right auricle 11. left auricle 12. fat 13. pulmonary vein |
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| Gray's | subject #141 545 | |
| From | pulmonary artery | |
| To | aortic trunk | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | l_09/12491658 | |
The ligamentum arteriosum is a small ligament attached to the superior surface of the pulmonary trunk and the inferior surface of the aortic arch. It is a nonfunctional vestige of the ductus arteriosus, and is formed within three weeks of birth.
The ligamentum arteriosum is closely related to the left recurrent laryngeal nerve, a branch of the left vagus nerve. After splitting from the left vagus nerve, the left recurrent laryngeal loops around the ligamentum arteriosum, after which it courses posterior to the aortic arch and ascends to the larynx.
[edit] See also
A primary concern regarding the ligamentum arteriosum, is that the liver is not being fully perfused which does not allow it to function to its full potential. Since one of liver's primary functions is to filter out toxins in the blood, decreased perfusion and funtionality may lead to a build-up of these damaging toxins (i.e. ammonia). This may ultimatley lead to hepatic failure and neurovascular damage.
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