Construction and clinical significance of normal uterine arterial vascular network models.

AIMS: To construct in vitro models of normal uterine arterial vascular network through vascular corrosion casting and explore their characteristics and clinical significances.

METHODS

Three sets of uterus, vagina and bilateral adnexa were perfused and cast via uterine artery and ovarian artery, using 25, 20 and 15% chlorinated poly vinyl chloride, respectively, and constructed into models one, two and three of the uterine arterial network correspondingly, followed by observing their characteristics.

RESULTS

There existed important similarities and differences among the three models in displaying uterine arterial network: in model one, the uterine arterial trunk, its branches and partial spiral arteries were sharply demonstrated except the tiny ones; model two further displayed the communicating branches between bilateral spiral arteries, the arterial vascular network of ovarian artery and the anastomoses between the arterial blood supply of uterus and ovaries; model three presented the tiny branches, especially the obvious communicating branches, the complete arterial vascular network of ovary and fallopian tube and anastomoses between them.

CONCLUSIONS

A panorama of the uterine arterial vascular network is obtained under organic combination of the three models, which is surely promising for clinical teaching, selections of different approaches and interventional therapy in obstetrics and gynecology.