Anastomosis and end arteries are two terms that are often discussed together in blood circulation. A circulatory anastomosis is a connection between two blood vessels. True end arteries are those arteries that do not have precapillary anastomoses or connections with their neighbouring arteries.
The key difference between anastomosis and end arteries is their nature. Anastomosis is a connection between two passageways, such as blood vessels, while end arteries are arteries that do not anastomose (connect) with their neighbouring arteries.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Anastomosis
3. What is End Arteries
4. Similarities – Anastomosis and End Arteries
5. Anastomosis vs End Arteries in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Anastomosis vs End Arteries
7. FAQ – Anastomosis and End Arteries
What is Anastomosis?
Anastomosis is a term used to describe a connection between two passageways, such as blood vessels. Two major examples of this are the blood vessels that have natural anastomoses (arterial anastomosis) and the gastrointestinal tract. In the gastrointestinal tract, the esophagus is connected to the stomach and intestine through anastomosis.
Figure 01: Side-by-Side Anastomosis
Surgical anastomosis is also an important surgical procedure. In this type of surgery, surgeons have to connect body channels together that were previously unconnected. Some examples of surgical anastomosis are bowel resection surgery, ileal pouch surgery, gastric bypass surgery, dialysis access surgery, and organ transplantation surgery.
What are End Arteries?
End arteries are arteries that do not have precapillary anastomoses with their neighbouring arteries in the body. They are also known as true-end arteries. In certain situations, these end arteries can be blocked by a thrombus. The body part supplied by it undergoes ischemia and later avascular necrosis. This can be noticeable in arteries supplying kidneys, brain, and retina in some patients.
Figure 02: Coronary Arteries
There is another type of end arteries known as functional end arteries. These arteries are arteries whose terminal branches do anastomose. However, this anastomosis is not sufficient to maintain the blood supply to that part of the body that supply blood in case of any blockage in the artery. One example of this is coronary arteries.
Similarities Between Anastomosis and End Arteries
- Anastomosis and end arteries are observed in the circulatory system.
- Sometimes, end arteries such as functional end arteries terminal branches do anastomose.
- Surgical anastomosis is a surgical procedure that can be performed to connect end arteries in case of blockage in the body.
Difference Between Anastomosis and End Arteries
Definition
- Anastomosis is a connection between two blood vessels, such as between arteries between veins.
- End arteries are arteries that do not anastomose with their neighbouring arteries and are the only supply of oxygenated blood to a portion of tissue.
Types
- There are different types of anastomosis as end-to-end anastomosis, side-to-side anastomosis, end-to-side anastomosis, and side-to-end anastomosis.
- There are two types of end arteries as true end arteries and functional end arteries.
Examples
- Examples of anastomosis include arterial anastomosis, gastrointestinal tract, and surgical procedures like bowel resection surgery, ileal pouch surgery, gastric bypass surgery, dialysis access surgery, and organ transplantation surgery.
- Examples of end arteries include arterio-arterial anastomosis and veno-venous anastomosis.
The following table summarizes the difference between anastomosis and end arteries.
Summary – Anastomosis vs End Arteries
Anastomosis and end arteries are two terms often described together in blood circulation. End arteries exist when there is no anastomosis or when an anastomosis exists but is incapable of providing a sufficient supply of blood. Anastomosis is a connection between two blood vessels, while end arteries are arteries that do not connect with their neighbouring arteries. This is the basic difference between anastomosis and end arteries.
FAQ: Anastomosis and End Arteries
1. What is the most common anastomosis?
- The most common types of anastomosis are vascular and intestinal anastomosis. A vascular anastomosis joins two blood vessels, while an intestinal anastomosis reconnects a part of the bowels with another part of the GI tract.
2. What is the difference between anastomosis and fistula?
- Anastomosis is a connection between two structures, such as between blood vessels that are otherwise diverging or branching. A fistula is an abnormal connection between two body parts, such as an organ or blood vessel, and another structure. It can be normal or abnormal.
3. What are the three types of anastomosis?
- The three types of anastomosis are end-to-end anastomosis (EEA), side-to-end anastomosis (SEA), side-to-side anastomosis (SSA), and end-to-side anastomosis (ESA).
4. Why coronary arteries are end arteries?
- Coronary arteries are end arteries. In these arteries, there is only one source of blood supply to the myocardium. However, this increases the risk of endocardial damage due to narrowing.
5. What is the difference between anatomical and functional end arteries?
- Anatomic end arteries are true end arteries. In these arteries, there is no anastomosis. An example is the artery of the retina. In functional end arteries, anastomosis exists but is incapable of providing a sufficient supply of blood. Examples are the splenic artery and renal artery.
Reference:
1. “Anastomosis: Definition, Types & Procedure.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “End Artery.” ScienceDirect.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Side-to-side anastomosis” By Sl043092 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Anatomy of coronary arteries” By Npatchett – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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