Pulmonary Arteries Anatomy

The main pulmonary artery arises from the right ventricular outflow tract and courses posteriorly and superiorly to the left of and posterior to the aorta 1. It divides into the left pulmonary artery lpa and right pulmonary artery rpa at the level of the fifth thoracic vertebra.

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Below the aortic arch it bifurcates into right and left main pulmonary arteries at the level of the carina.

Pulmonary arteries anatomy. Pulmonary artery anatomy the main pulmonary artery mpa is intrapericardial and courses posteriorly and superiorly from the pulmonic valve. A well documented variant of pulmonary arterial anatomy is the aberrant left pulmonary artery also known as the pulmonary sling. In this variation the left pulmonary artery arises from the posterior aspect of the right pulmonary artery and passes superior to the right mainstem bronchus and between the esophagus and trachea.

Most of us learned in school that arteries carry oxygen rich blood to the body. This artery divides above the heart into two branches to the right and left lungs where the arteries further subdivide into smaller and smaller branches until the capillaries in the pulmonary air sacs alveoli are reached. In pulmonary circulation pumps deoxygenated blood through the pulmonary artery.

The left and right pulmonary arteries which act to deliver deoxygenated blood to its respective lung. The pulmonary artery is one of the few arteries which transports oxygen low blood and the pulmonary veins are among the few veins which deliver oxygen rich blood. The pulmonary trunk is a short and stout wide structure that is about 5 cm in length and 3 cm in diameter which branches into 2 pulmonary arteries.

Pulmonary Trunk Radiology Reference Article Radiopaedia Org