Arterial bifurcations in the cardiovascular system of a rat

Arterial bifurcations in the cardiovascular system of a rat were studied, using a resin cast of the entire arterial tree. At each bifurcation, measurements were made of the diameters of the three vessels involved, the two branching angles, and the angle delta, which the parent artery makes with the plane containing the two branches. The results were found to be consistent with those reported previously in man and monkey. In addition, measurements of delta in the present study indicate that arterial bifurcations are mostly two dimensional.