Ligamentum arteriosum

Looks like

A short fibrous cord from the underside of the aortic arch to the pulmonary trunk: all that is left of the ductus arteriosus.

What it does

Before birth the ductus sent blood past the unused lungs; it closes within days of birth and becomes this ligament.

Keeping it well

If the ductus stays open (common in premature babies), blood floods the lungs; drugs or a device close it. The left recurrent laryngeal nerve hooks round the ligament.

Related conditions

• Congenital heart defects
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Hypothermia & frostbite
• Kawasaki disease
• Metabolic syndrome
• Orthostatic hypotension & POTS
• Peripheral artery disease
• Phaeochromocytoma & hyperaldosteronism
• Pre-eclampsia
• Raynaud's phenomenon
• Sepsis
• Shock (circulatory failure)
• Vasculitis (GCA & others)