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.

Discusses amazing facts about these two systems and how they work together to keep us alive.

The circulatory system runs through the body carrying oxygen and nutrients to our cells and removes waste. It's driven by the never-resting heart, which pumps blood through more than 60,000 miles of arteries and veins. The lymphatic system regulates the amount of liquid in the body among other tasks. Readers will learn about how together, these two systems help the body stay alive and fight invading bacteria and viruses.

Lymphatic Structure and Function in Health and Disease serves as a resource book on what has been learned about lymphatic structure, function and anatomy within different organ systems. This is the first book to bring together lymphatic medicine as a whole, with in-depth analysis of specific aspects of lymphatics in different vascular pathologies. This book is a useful tool for scientists, practicing clinicians and residents, in particular, those in vascular biology, neurology, cardiology and general medicine. Chapters discuss topics such as ontogeny and phylogeny of lymphatics, lymphatic pumping, CNS lymphatics, lymphatics in transplant and lymphatic reconstruction. - Brings together lymphatic medicine as a whole, with an in-depth analysis of the specific basic science aspects of lymphatic structure and function - Covers the clinical aspects of lymphatics in different vascular pathologies - Co-published with the International Society of Neurovascular Diseases - Discusses lymphatic structure and function in all of the major organ systems

Research centering on blood flow in the heart continues to hold an important position, especially since a better understanding of the subject may help reduce the incidence of coronary arterial disease and heart attacks. This book summarizes recent advances in the field; it is the product of fruitful cooperation among international scientists who met in Japan in May, 1990 to discuss the regulation of coronary blood flow.

The partition of fluid between the vascular and interstitial compartments is regulated by forces (hydrostatic and oncotic) operating across the microvascular walls and the surface areas of permeable structures comprising the endothelial barrier to fluid and solute exchange, as well as within the extracellular matrix and lymphatics. In addition to its role in the regulation of vascular volume, transcapillary fluid filtration also allows for continuous turnover of water bathing tissue cells, providing the medium for diffusional flux of oxygen and nutrients required for cellular metabolism and removal of metabolic byproducts. Transendothelial volume flow has also been shown to influence vascular smooth muscle tone in arterioles, hydraulic conductivity in capillaries, and neutrophil transmigration across postcapillary venules, while the flow of this filtrate through the interstitial spaces functions to modify the activities of parenchymal, resident tissue, and metastasizing tumor cells. Likewise, the flow of lymph, which is driven by capillary filtration, is important for the transport of immune and tumor cells, antigen delivery to lymph nodes, and for return of filtered fluid and extravasated proteins to the blood. Given this background, the aims of this treatise are to summarize our current understanding of the factors involved in the regulation of transcapillary fluid movement, how fluid movements across the endothelial barrier and through the interstitium and lymphatic vessels influence cell function and behavior, and the pathophysiology of edema formation. Table of Contents: Fluid Movement Across the Endothelial Barrier / The Interstitium / The Lymphatic Vasculature / Pathophysiology of Edema Formation