trunk
[trungk] 1. the part of the body to which the head and limbs are attached; called also
torso.
2. a larger structure, such as a vessel or nerve, from which smaller divisions or branches arise, or that is created by their union. adj., adj trun´cal.
celiac trunk the arterial trunk arising from the abdominal aorta and giving origin to the left gastric, common hepatic, and splenic arteries.
lumbosacral trunk a trunk formed by union of the lower part of ventral branch of the fourth lumbar nerve with the ventral branch of the fifth lumbar nerve.
lymphatic t's the lymphatic vessels (right or left lumbar, intestinal, right or left bronchomediastinal, right or left subclavian, and right or left jugular trunks) that drain lymph from various regions of the body into the right lymphatic or thoracic duct.
pulmonary trunk a vessel arising from the conus arteriosus of the right ventricle and bifurcating into the right and left pulmonary arteries.
sympathetic trunk two long ganglionated nerve strands, one on each side of the vertebral column, extending from the base of the skull to the coccyx.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.