Sleepy Tangle

Carotid ball The carotid ball is part of the vascular system of humans and animals. This is a small tangle-shaped process (from 5 to 20 mm in diameter), containing one or more arteries and veins of the brain and constrictive nerves.

**Vessels carrying blood to the brain:** * The carotid arteries carry oxygenated arterial blood primarily to the brain structures (and cranial veins). * The cavernous vein of the head collects oxygen-rich blood from the organ of smell (olfactory bulb), pituitary gland, basal ganglia, pale bodies of the brain stem structure, supplies blood to the tonsils, adenoids and mucous membrane of the eye. * The orbital vein distributes the most oxygenated arterial blood to the visual tuberosities (thalamus), the anterior nuclei of the hypothalamus, the dentate nucleus of the pons, and the inferior colliculi of the quadrigeminal. Collects blood from the orbit, eye muscles and frontal sinus. **Nerves that transmit impulses from the brain to the vessels:** * Cranial nerve IX - lesser occipital, transmits impulses from brain structures located in the posterior region of the occipital lobe and posterior commissure, and laryngeal tissue, and also innervates the parotid salivary gland, ear skin concha, mastoid process. * The facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) extends to the muscles of the lower face and paranasal region. **In medicine, for pathology of blood flow in the carotid arteries, the following diagnostic methods are used**: * Assessment of blood flow using duplex angioscanning. Allows you to identify atherosclerotic plaques and determine the presence of blood flow disturbances (occlusion, stenosis, fragmentation, turbulent flow). * Dopplerography. Uses sound waves to measure the speed and direction of blood flow. Allows you to assess the patency of cerebral vessels. * Angiography. A study that involves injecting a contrast agent into an artery and using it to create images of the vessels. Gives an idea of ​​the condition of the walls of blood vessels and the presence of painful changes in them. The carotid globus plays an important role in the functioning of the nervous system and ensures the delivery of oxygen to most brain structures, including the respiratory sections of the brainstem and midbrain.