Foramen of Panizza
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222129863
2008-06-27T18:23:16Z
Enuja
2568399
removing source with one sentence about the foramen, adding another review that has a good section about it, edited all of the text for clarity
{{Expand|date=June 2008}}
The '''Foramen of Panizza''' is a hole with that connects the left and right [[aorta]] as they leave the [[heart]] of all animals of the order [[Crocodilia]].
Crocodilians have a completely separated [[ventricle]] with deoxygenated blood from the body, or [[systemic circulation]] in the right ventricle and oxygenated blood from the lungs, or [[pulmonary circulation]] in the left ventricle, as in [[bird]]s and [[mammal]]s. Two vessels, the left aorta and the pulmonary artery, exit the right ventricle. [[Blood]] from the right ventricle goes to the lungs through the pulmonary artery, as in mammals and birds. However, when a unique active valve leading to the pulmonary artery contracts, pressure in the right ventricle can increase and blood can leave the right ventricle, enter the left aortic arch, and therefore bypass the pulmonary circulation. The foramen of panizza connects the left and right aorta. Deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle, sitting in the left aorta, can flow into the right aorta through the foramen of panizza. When the heart is relaxed, some oxygenated blood from the left ventricle, sitting in the right aorta, can flow into the left aorta across the foramen of panizza.
==References==
*Axelsson, Michael. 2001. ''The crocodilian heart; more controlled than we thought?'' Experimental Physiology 86:6 785-789
==External links==
*[http://pharyngula.org/index/science/hot_blooded_crocodiles/ Hot-blooded crocodiles?]
*[http://www.manrecap.com/crocodiles.html Crocodiles of Sri Lanka]
{{Crocs}}
[[Category:Animal anatomy]]
[[Category:Cardiovascular system]]
[[Category:Animal physiology]]
[[fr:Foramen de Panizza]]
[[it:Forame di Panizza]]
[[nl:Opening van Panizza]]