The Blood Supply and Microcirculation of the Canine Trachea

Abstract

In this study, we examined the canine tracheal blood circulation using a method of microvascular “Casting” by silicone rubber which permits filling of selected regions of vascular tree, including the capillaries, under controlled physiological conditions. In the dog, small paired arterial branches arise from the longitudinal posterior anastomosis along the lateral wall, and take a circumferential path forward to the right and to the left between the cartilaginous rings. These transverse intercartilaginous arteries in turn give rise to a continuous submucosal capillary plexus. Although the vascularization pattern of this capillary plexus is diffuse and present throughout the entire endotracheal submucosa, there are two characteristic regions; the microvessels in the zone directly beneath the tracheal cartilages and those in the intercartilaginous portion.