The ovarian and uterine arteries in the chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera)

The purpose of this study was to describe arteries supplying the ovaries and uterus in the chinchilla. Five healthy adult female chinchillas were used. In order to reveal the arterial network by dissecting under a stereoscopic microscope, latex coloured with red ink was injected through the common carotid artery. The ovaries of the chinchilla are supplied by the arteriae ovaricae which formed end-to-end anastomoses with the cranial termination of the arteria uterina. Soon after leaving the aorta abdominalis, the arteriae ovaricae extended 2-3 mm caudolaterally, then released 1 branch and extended caudally and bifurcated into 2 further branches. One of these supplied branches to fat tissue. The other branch coursed caudally and anastomosed with the arteria circumflexa ilium profunda and dispersed into fat tissue. The arteria ovarica further subdivided into 2 rami ovaricae. The origins of the uterine arteries were exclusively from the left arteria iliaca externa. The arteria uterina gave a branch to the arteria umbilicalis and consecutive branches which supplied to the ureter, urinary bladder and cranial aspects of the vagina. It also gave rise to 2-3 branches to the cervix and further supplied 10-12 meandering branches to the uterine horns. The arteria uterina gave rise to many tortuous arteries to the uterus and provided 2 further branches to the ovary.