Ductus venosus

From WikiMD.org
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Ductus Venosus

The Ductus Venosus (pronounced: DUK-tus ve-NO-sus) is a small vessel in the fetal circulation that carries oxygenated blood from the umbilical vein to the inferior vena cava.

Etymology

The term "Ductus Venosus" is derived from Latin, where "ductus" means "leading" and "venosus" refers to "vein". Thus, the term literally translates to "leading vein".

Function

The primary function of the Ductus Venosus is to bypass the liver in the fetal circulatory system. It allows oxygen-rich blood from the mother to flow directly to the heart of the fetus, providing the necessary nutrients for growth and development.

Related Terms

  • Fetal circulation: The circulatory system of a human fetus, which is significantly different from the adult circulatory system due to the presence of the placenta.
  • Umbilical vein: The vein that carries oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood from the placenta to the fetus.
  • Inferior vena cava: The large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the lower half of the body back to the heart.
  • Liver: A large organ in the body that processes nutrients from food, makes bile, removes toxins from the body, and builds proteins.

See Also

External links

Esculaap.svg

This WikiMD article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.


Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski