Microvascularization of the common tree shrew (Tupaia glis) superior cervical ganglion studied by vascular corrosion cast with scanning electron microscopy

Abstract

Microvascularization of the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) of the common tree shrew (Tupaia glis) was investigated by the vascular-corrosion-cast technique in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the SCG of the tree shrew is a highly vascularized organ. It receives arterial blood from branches of the external and common carotid arteries which enter the rostral and caudal portions of the ganglion. These arteries give rise to a subcapsular capillary plexus before branching off to form a group of densely packed intraganglionic capillaries. Moreover, the intraganglionic capillaries tend to follow a tortuous course that is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ganglion, and they form anastomoses with each other. In addition, the intraganglionic capillaries are also connected to a subcapsular capillary plexus. The capillaries of the SCG converge into venules and collecting veins which subsequently drain rostrally and caudally into the systemic veins. However, neither a pattern of blood vessels resembling glomeruli nor a portal-like intraganglionic microcirculation was observed.