THE VASCULAR ARCHITECTURE OF THE ADRENAL GLAND IN THE FETUSES AND NEWBORNS / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

The blood vessels of the adrenal gland of 28 fetuses and newborns were studied in this work. Three methods, the injection replication of the microvasculature for scanning electron microscopy, the injection of ink for light microscope and lead latex injection for gross anatomy, have been used. The superior, middle and inferior arteries of the adrenal gland originate from the inferior phrenic artery, abdominal aorta and renal artery respectively. They branch into fin- er arteries when they reach the surface of the gland and run through the capsule of the gland. The finer arteries divide into branches beneath the capsula of the gland. Some of the ultimate branches divide into capillaries and form the subcapsular plexus proper. Others enter directly into the adrenal cortex and medulla separately. They are named the cortical arteries and medullary arteries. Looped cortical arteries run into the cortex from subcapsular plexus, and return to the subcapsular plexus and supply it with blood. We call them the "V" type arteries. The subcapsular plexus gives off numerous capillaries that form the adult cortical capillary plexus which supplies, in turn, the fetal cortex capillaries with blood. The cortical arteries give off the capillaries to supply blood to the fetal cortex. These two kinds of the capillaries form the fetal cortical capillary plexus. In the middle of the fetal cortex the capillaries converge into small veins which run centripetally. Some of them form the first order branch of the central vein. Others break up into the capillaries near the central region. These capillaries converge into the small venous channels which drain into the central vein. This form of vessels is named the "portal vessels". Medullary cells migrating in the cortex are supplied with blood by the medullary arteries proper. The small veins converge gradually to form a treelike pattern and finally drain into the central vein which emerges as the adrenal vein on the anterior surface of the gland. The right adrenal vein drains into the vena cava inferior and the left one into the renal vein. Adrenal arteries are accompanied by the corresponding veins. The superior adrenal vein drains toward the inferior phrenic vein. The middle adrenal vein drains into the adrenal vein, and the inferior one into the renal vein.