Vessel Collateral

A colateral vessel (Latin “collatēralis” - “side”) is one of the types of vessels in the human body that provides blood supply to organs and tissues located next to the main vessel.

Collateral vessels are accessory and are used when the main vessel is damaged or blocked. They allow blood to bypass the obstruction and continue to circulate throughout the body.

Depending on their location, collateral vessels can be internal or external. Internal collaterals are located inside the body, and external collaterals are on the surface.

There are several types of collateral vessels, each of which has its own characteristics and functions. For example, in the cardiovascular system there are coronary collaterals that provide blood supply to the myocardium during coronary heart disease. In the pulmonary system, there are pulmonary collaterals that help breathe when large airways are damaged.

However, the use of collateral vessels can also have negative consequences. Firstly, they can cause swelling and circulatory problems in adjacent tissues. Secondly, with prolonged use of collateral vessels, they can become permanent and begin to function instead of the main vessels, which can lead to serious diseases.

Thus, colateral vessels are an important element of the human circulatory system, but their use must be reasonable and controlled.

K.'s vessels are one of the types of collateral vessels that have their own development and are therefore independent. Their topography largely coincides with the veins, and therefore they often suffer from thrombophlebitis. They develop from vasa vasorum like interstitial vessels. K. running close to the veins often merge with the surrounding wall of the vessel (the so-called homogeneous K.). The shape of the K. vessel is an uneven cylindrical canal located in an intervascular anastomosis or between two arterial trunks and connected to the superior vena cava or brachiocephalic vein (K. Mivarta). They receive blood from the same arteries from which the portal veins originate, i.e., they connect the capillaries of the portal vein system with the venous bed of the organs. In the fetus, capillaries are a network of small arterial capillaries that play an important role in tissue nutrition (chorion, amnion, allantois).

According to their structure and origin, blood vessels belong to different classes of vessels: the vessels themselves, lymphangions, and lymphatic sinuses. The first class is represented by the arterial branch of the abdominal aorta, vasa lumbosacralia, the second by the thoracic duct, the right subclavian vein and its tributaries, the third by the cardiac and pulmonary lymphatic vessels. Depending on the origin, blood vessels can connect to both arterial and venous vessels, although in practice it is customary to distinguish between arteries and blood vessels.