The Cardiac Lymphatic System, 2013 An Overview

The heart is invested with a complex, intertwining network of blood and lymphatic vessels which, respectively, provide the cardiac tissue with oxygen and nutrients and eliminate excess fluid from the interstitium. The coronary blood vessels have been the focus of much investigation in the past few decades. On the other hand, the literature regarding the cardiac lymphatic vessels remains sparse, despite their important role in maintaining normal heart function. With this in mind, a better understanding of the cardiac lymphatic network and its ability to regulate fluid homeostasis within the heart could give us insight into developing therapies for the alleviation of several cardiac pathological conditions.

Part I: Anatomy of the Cardiac Lymphatic System.- A General Outline of the Cardiac Lymphatic System.- Development and Patterning of the Cardiac Lymphatic Network.- Part II: The Cardiac Lymphatics and Heart Disease.- The Link between Lymphatic Obstruction and Congenital Heart Disease.- Role of Lymphatics in Atherogenesis, Myocardial Infarction, Congestive Heart Failure, and Cardiac Transplantation.- The Lymphatics in Normal and Pathological Heart Valves.- Myocardial Lymphatic Changes during Terminal Heart Failure.- Imaging the Lymphatic System in Heart Transplantation and Its Immunological Implications.- Part III: Cardiac Lymphatic Signaling.- Tie Receptor Signaling in Cardiac Lymphangiogenesis.- VEGF Receptor Signaling in the Cardiac Lymphatics.- Hypoxia and the Cardiac Lymphatics.- The Potential of the Epicardium to Act as a Source of Lymphatic Cells.- Index.

Provides in-depth coverage of the cardiac lymphatic vessels and the essential nature of their patterning and development Useful to a broad audience interested in cardiovascular medicine and physiology Gives readers vital information on the crucial role played by the cardiac lymphatic vessels in preserving normal heart function Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras