Calibre of Arteriovenous Blood Vessels in the Cat Carotid Body: An Assessment Using Latex Microspheres

Several physiological observations indicate a partition of the considerable blood flow the carotid body (glomus caroticum) receives between nutritional capillaries in the specific glomeral tissue and the vessels that bypass these capillaries (1). The nature of these bypass or shunt vessels has to be determined yet. However, the vessels could be arteriovenous anastomoses located on the surface of the carotid body (2), arteriovenous or arteriolarvenular anastomoses within the carotid body (3), or preferential (thoroughfare) channels in the form of wide capillaries within the glomus (3, 4).