Anatomy of diaphragmatic circulation.

The diaphragmatic circulation was studied in 48 mongrel dogs weighing 10-35 kg by injecting acrylic coloring into the arteries and veins of the diaphragm. The phrenic arteries and internal mammary arteries were found to anastomose head to head, forming an internal arterial circle around the medial leaflet of the diaphragm tendon. This arterial circle emitted vascular branches that traveled between muscle fibers toward the periphery of the diaphragm. These branches anastomosed with vessels of the intercostal arteries to form costophrenic arcades all along the fibers of the crural and costal diaphragms. The intercostal arteries were anastomosed to one another by small vessels within the muscular diaphragm, thus forming an arterial ring around the insertions of the diaphragm on the ribs. The venous drainage has an anatomic distribution similar to that observed on the arterial side, but with the additional presence of valves that could play a role in directing blood flow.