THE BRONCHIAL ARTERIES - STUDY AND APPLICATION TO LUNG TRANSPLANTATION ANATOMIC

The bronchial arterial system (BAS) and its territory was studied in d issections of 40 fresh adult cadavers. The arterial distribution was a ssessed by catheterisation of the ostia and injection of contrast medi um. The number of bronchial aa, varied from 2 to 4. The origin of the arteries was between the upper border of T5 and the lower border of T6 in 90% of cases. The intercostobronchial trunk was the virtually excl usively component of the right bronchial arterial system, present in 9 7.5% of cases. It was associated with an accessory right bronchial a. in 7.5% of cases, which was merely supplementary. A common arterial tr unk for both bronchial systems was present in 50% of cases. The left B AS was characterised by the presence of a direct left bronchial a. (LB A) in 76% of cases, and by the combination of two LBAs in 20%, one of which was usually dominant. However, major anatomic networks between t he different vessels found allowed reimplantation of the LBA alone in the former situation, and in the latter it was possible to rely on the dominant LBA alone when reimplantation of the different ostia was imp ossible. The proximity of the different ostia and the interostial inte rval, which was less than 1.5 cm on average, permitted multiple revasc ularisations by the same vascular supply.