
Chorionic (plate) vessels, also fetal surface vessels
are
blood vessels
Blood vessels are the structures of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide away fro ...
, including both
arteries
An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pul ...
and
veins
Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated ...
, that carry blood through the
chorion
The chorion is the outermost fetal membrane around the embryo in mammals, birds and reptiles ( amniotes). It develops from an outer fold on the surface of the yolk sac, which lies outside the zona pellucida (in mammals), known as the vitellin ...
in the
fetoplacental circulation.
Chorionic arteries branch off the
umbilical artery, and supply the capillaries of the
chorionic villi. Increased vasocontractility of chorionic arteries may contribute to
preeclampsia.
References
Embryology of cardiovascular system
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