Ramification of the celiac artery in the greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was a description of the species-specific characteristics of the celiac artery in greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus). In the greater flamingos examined in this study, it was observed that the celiac artery (a. celiaca) originated from the right ventrolateral surface of the descending aorta (aorta descendens) at the level of the fourth thoracic intervertebral junction. The celiac artery was observed to give off branches to the oesophagus, proventriculus, gizzard, spleen, liver, gall bladder, duodenum, pancreas, jejunum, ileum and caecum. After giving off the dorsal proventricular artery (a. proventricularis dorsalis) and oesophageal artery (ramus esophagealis), the celiac artery bifurcated into two main branches. It was determined that the right branch of the celiac artery (ramus dexter) gave off either two or four splenic arteries (aa. splenicae), as well as the right hepatic artery (a. hepatica dextra), duodenojejunal artery (a. duodenojejunalis), right dorsal gastric artery (a. gastrica dextra dorsalis), right ventral gastric artery (a. gastrica dextra ventralis) and pancreaticoduodenal artery (a. pancreaticoduodenalis). The ventral proventricular artery (a. proventricularis ventralis), left hepatic artery (a. hepatica sinistra), the arterial branches to the saccus cranialis (rami saccicraniales) and the left gastric artery (a. gastrica sinistra) arose from the left branch of the celiac artery (ramus sinister).

Keywords

• anatomy
• circulation
• branching celiac artery
• flamingo