The pulmonary arteries carry blood from the heart to the lungs. They are the only arteries (other than umbilical arteries in the fetus) that carry deoxygenated blood.
In the human heart, the pulmonary trunk (pulmonary artery or main pulmonary artery) begins at the base of the right ventricle. It is short and wide - approximately 5 cm (2 inches) in length and 3 cm (1.2 inches) in diameter. It then branches into two pulmonary arteries (left and right), which deliver deoxygenated blood to the corresponding lung.
Pulmonary hypertension occurs alone and as a consequence of a number of lung diseases. It can be a consequence of heart disease (Eisenmenger's syndrome) but equally a cause (right-ventricular heart failure); it also occurs as a consequence of pulmonary embolism and scleroderma. It is characterised by reduced exercise tolerance. Severe forms, generally, have a dismal prognosis.
Bronchi, bronchial tree, and lungs
Anatomy of lungs.
Front view of heart and lungs.
Transverse section of thorax, showing relations of pulmonary artery.
Base and diaphragmatic surface of heart.
pulmonary - aorta - ascending aorta right coronary (sinuatrial nodal, atrioventricular nodal, atrial, right marginal, posterior interventricular) left coronary (anterior interventricular, left circumflex, left marginal) aortic arch - brachiocephalic - thyreoidea ima - common carotid | (Gray's s141-Gray's s143)
DESCENDING AORTA / THORACIC AORTA: bronchial - esophageal - posterior intercostal - subcostal | (Gray's s153)
ABDOMINAL AORTA: Anterior - celiac: left gastric
splenic: pancreatic branches (arteria pancreatica magna) - short gastric - left gastro-omental
common hepatic: proper hepatic (cystic), right gastric, gastroduodenal (right gastro-omental, superior pancreaticoduodenal)
superior mesenteric: inferior pancreaticoduodenal - intestinal - ileocolic (appendicular) - right colic - middle colic
inferior mesenteric: left colic - sigmoid - superior rectal
Posterior - Visceral: middle suprarenal - renal (inferior suprarenal) - testicular/ovarian - Parietal: inferior phrenic (superior suprarenal) - lumbar - median sacral
Terminal branches: common iliac - marginal - internal iliac | (Gray's s154)
INTERNAL ILIAC: Anterior: umbilical (superior vesical, to ductus deferens) - inferior vesical - middle rectal - uterine (azygos of the vagina) - vaginal - obturator internal pudendal: (inferior rectal, perineal, artery of the urethral bulb, urethral, deep artery of the penis, dorsal artery of the penis) inferior gluteal (accompanying of ischiadic nerve, crucial anastomosis) Posterior: iliolumbar - lateral sacral - superior gluteal | (Gray's s155)
EXTERNAL ILIAC: inferior epigastric (cremasteric) - deep circumflex iliac | (Gray's s156)