The Veins, Lymphatic system, Endocrine system, Fetal Circulation..."The List Goes On"

So you have conquered the heart and arteries. No big deal, right? Now you have other things to focus on....the veins. And to make your life more enjoyable, three extra body systems. By this point in the semester, you all are champions at the game of anatomy. Or you may just be burnt out of school, can't wait for the semester to end and wish that anatomy would be over right now. Not to worry, there are only 4 more lab weeks and 3 more quizzes. Wow, where has the time gone? Not to worry because this week, what you have to know really is not that bad when you put it to a good perspective. Let's take the veins for example. You may be thinking, "Man, I just got through memorizing the arteries...how can I do another whole load of veins?" Well, you are in luck. Arteries and veins all share the same name with a few minor exceptions. Pretty cool huh? So if you know where the axillary artery is, you will find the axillary vein laying right next to it. Oh, now you know what that dark purple thing was that was sitting next to the artery you learned last week. :)

A vital skill to have in anatomy, at least up to this point, is being able to recognize the difference between arteries, veins, and nerves. At first, they may look all the same but with practice it will become very evident which is which. This skill will be vital in your performance on the final midterm exam. You may name a term right, but if you do not denote whether it is a nerve, artery or vein correctly, you will lose points. This may seem intimidating right now, but with good practice and a little patience, it will come very easily to you. That is a solid promise I can make, but make sure you put in some good practice.

So here are a few pointers in denoting the difference between arteries, veins and nerves:

1. Arteries are pink and puffy. They hold their shape because their middle, called the tunica media, is thick and muscular.
2. Veins are dark and flat. They don't hold their shape like unto arteries because their tunica media is smaller. Also, the movement of blood back to the heart is controlled by muscle contraction.
3. Nerves are peach colored and striated. If you look closely on a nerve, you can see striations that denote the individual neurons. Remember their are only a handful of nerves that you need to know for this class. Master the nerves, and then you can be confident that everything else is an artery or vein.

**Take these pointers to heart and go study like mad in the open lab!!!

Now for a few ways to help make these terms stick to your brain:

The Veins - each branch is the beginning of a new name.

**Remember, all the veins share the same name as the arteries with a few exceptions.

Veins of the Arm

• Internal Jugular Vein: First branch off the subclavian vein and runs up the side of the neck.
• External Jugular Vein: Second branch off the subclavian vein and is lateral to the internal jugular vein.
• Cephalic Vein: Last branch off the subclavian vein; wraps around the pectoralis major muscle, runs along the lateral side of the arm and attaches on the radial side of the hand.
• Basilic Vein: Runs down the medial side of the arm and attaches onto the ulnar side.
• Median Cubital Vein: Lays anterior to the elbow and is the connection point of the cephalic and basilic vein. Most common spot to draw blood.

Veins of the Thoracic Cavity

• Azygos Vein: branch off the superior vena cava; receives blood from the posterior thoracic region.

Veins of the Abdominal Cavity

1. Hepatic Portal System: S.I.S. G (going from left to right)

• Superior Mesenteric Vein
• Inferior Mesenteric Vein
• Splenic Vein
• Gastric Vein

**All branches come off the hepatic portal vein. Similar to the celiac trunk in its many arterial branches.

• Gastro-omental (Gastroepiploic) Vein: any vein that you seen within the adipose tissue coming off the inferior portion of the stomach.

Veins of the Leg

• Great Saphenous Vein: You can't miss this one! The longest vein to be seen; originates on the femoral region and reaches all the way down and connects on the foot. Common vein extracted for bypass heart surgeries. Can survive without a great saphenous vein.

The Lymphatic System

• Thoracic Duct: Found posterior to the heart, between the esophagus and azygos vein. Drains lymph from the lower and left upper body into the left subclavian vein.
• Right Lymphatic Duct: Currently have no cadaver dissections. Drains lymph from the right upper body region.
• Cisterna Chyli: Found in the upper abdominal region between the inferior vena cava and descending aorta.
• Lymph Nodes: Located in the neck, armpit, thoracic, abdominal, pelvis and groin regions. Lymph is filtered in these regions.

The Endocrine System: Make sure you understand what each endocrine organ looks like and the hormones it secretes.

Anterior Pituitary Gland: F.L.A.T.P.G.M

• Follicle-Stimulating Hormone(FSH)
• Luteinizing Hormone(LH)
• Adrenocorticotropic Hormone(ACTH)
• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone(TSH)
• Prolactin(PRL)
• Growth Hormone(GH)
• Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone(MSH)

Posterior Pituitary Gland

• Oxytocin
• Antidiuretic Hormone(ADH)

Thyroid Hormone/Parathyroid Hormone

• Calcitonin: keeps calcium in the bone
• Parathyroid: Keeps calcium high: thy-high

Pancreas Hormones

• Glucagon: secreted when glucose is gone (increases blood sugar)
• Insulin: takes glucose in (decrease blood sugar)

Corticosteriods

• CACA: Corticosteroids -> Aldosterone -> Cortisol -> Androgens

Fetal Circulation

• Placenta: where maternal and fetal blood exchange, nutrients, waste products and gases
• Umbilical Cord: contains one vein and two arteries; the vein contains oxygen rich blood and the arteries contain oxygen poor blood.
• Ductus Venosus: bypasses the hepatic portal system in the liver
• Foramen Ovale: opening in the interatrial septum; bypasses the pulmonary circulation
• Ductus Arteriosus: sometimes blood will miss passing through the foramen ovale, so this structure will shunt blood that enters the pulmonary trunk into the aortic arch.

Adult Derivatives of Fetal Circulation

• Foreman Ovale = Fossa Ovalis
• Umbilical Vein(intra-abdominal part) = Ligamentum Teres
• Ductus Venosus = Ligamentum Venosum
• Umbilical arteries and abdominal ligaments = Medial umbilical ligaments and superior vesicular artery(supplies bladder)
• Ductus Arteriosus = Ligamentum Arteriosum