Threadlike bundle of tubules running inside blood vessels: New anatomical structure

TL;DR

This study reports the discovery of a novel, threadlike elastic structure inside blood vessels of rats and rabbits, rediscovering the Bong Han ducts using a new observation method involving blood coagulation and fibrin embedding.

Contribution

It introduces a new procedure for observing intra blood vessel ducts (IBVD), confirming their existence and providing evidence of a previously unconfirmed anatomical structure.

Findings

Discovery of a semi-transparent elastic bundle of tubules inside blood vessels.

Development of a new method to observe these thin, fragile structures.

Confirmation of the existence of Bong Han ducts in blood vessels.

Abstract

According to current anatomy, the arteries and veins do not have threadlike structures running inside the vessels. Despite such prevailing knowledge here we report on observation of a novel structure inside the blood vessels of rats and rabbits, which is a semi-transparent elastic bundle of tubules whose diameters are of 10$\mu$m order. This is a rediscovery of the Bong Han ducts1,2 which have not been confirmed because the observing method was not known. We found a new procedure of observing the intra blood vessel ducts (IBVD) which are too thin, fragile, and semi-transparent to be detected in ordinary surgical operation. The method we contrived is to let blood be coagulated around the IBVD so that they become thick and strong by intravenous injection of 10 per cent dextrose solution at the vena femoralis. A piece of thickened IBVD sample is treated with urokinase to remove blood clots and the thin thread of IBVD is embedded inside of a string of fibrin