Venae cordis minimae
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Synonyms and keywords: Smallest cardiac veins; Thebesian veins; Venae cardiacae minimae; Veins of Thebesius
Overview
Venae cordis minimae (or smallest cardiac veins, Thebesian veins, venae cardiacae minimae, veins of Thebesius) are minute valveless veins in the walls of all four heart chambers and they are often confused with the distinct set of arterial connections, the "vessels of Wearn".[1] They are most abundant in the right atrium and least in the left ventricle. They drain the myocardium[2] and pass through the endocardial layer to empty mostly into the right atrium, but a few empty into the ventricles. The openings of the chambers are called the foramina venarum minimarum.
The Thebesian venous network is considered an alternative (secondary) pathway of venous drainage of the myocardium.
They are named after the German anatomist Adam Christian Thebesius, who described them in a 1708 treatise called Disputatio medica inauguralis de circulo sanguinis in corde.[3][4]
References
- ↑ Snodgrass, Brett Thomas (1 July 2012). "Vessels Described by Thebesius and Pratt Are Distinct From Those Described by Vieussens and Wearn". The American Journal of Cardiology. 110 (1): 160. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2012.04.005. PMID 22704295.
- ↑ A. M. R. Agur; Arthur F. Dalley (2009). Grant's atlas of anatomy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 53–. ISBN 978-0-7817-7055-2. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ↑ Template:WhoNamedIt
- ↑ A. C. Thebesius. Disputatio medica inauguralis de circulo sanguinis in corde. Doctoral dissertation, Leiden, 1708.