| Aortic arches | |
|---|---|
 Scheme of the aortic arches and their destination. | |
 Profile view of a human embryo estimated at twenty or twenty-one days old. | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | arteriae arcuum pharyngeorum |
| TE | arches_by_E4.0.3.5.0.3.3 E4.0.3.5.0.3.3 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The aortic arches or pharyngeal arch arteries (previously referred to as branchial arches in human embryos) are a series of six paired embryological vascular structures which give rise to the great arteries of the neck and head. They are ventral to the dorsal aorta and arise from the aortic sac.
The aortic arches are formed sequentially within the pharyngeal arches and initially appear symmetrical on both sides of the embryo,[1] but then undergo a significant remodelling to form the final asymmetrical structure of the great arteries.[1][2]
- ^ a b Hiruma, Tamiko; Nakajima, Yuji; Nakamura, Hiroaki (2002-07-01). "Development of pharyngeal arch arteries in early mouse embryo". Journal of Anatomy. 201 (1): 15–29. doi:10.1046/j.1469-7580.2002.00071.x. ISSN 0021-8782. PMC 1570898. PMID 12171473.
- ^ Bamforth, Simon D.; Chaudhry, Bill; Bennett, Michael; Wilson, Robert; Mohun, Timothy J.; Van Mierop, Lodewyk H.S.; Henderson, Deborah J.; Anderson, Robert H. (2013-03-01). "Clarification of the identity of the mammalian fifth pharyngeal arch artery". Clinical Anatomy. 26 (2): 173–182. doi:10.1002/ca.22101. ISSN 1098-2353. PMID 22623372. S2CID 7927804.