Unit page, primary language: LA, subsidiary: EN, interface: EN, work in progress

truncus brachiocephalicus

Identification
Official Latin term truncus brachiocephalicus
Official subsidiary term brachiocephalic trunk
Unit identifier TAH:U3802
Unit type single
Materiality material
Navigation
Link to the unit truncus brachiocephalicus
Links of entity generic: truncus brachiocephalicus
Entity-oriented links Universal page Definition page
External links Gray 1918 TA98 FMA PubMed Wikipedia KenHub IMAIOS
Partonomic links Level 2: systema arteriosum Short Extended
Level 3: truncus brachiocephalicus
Taxonomic links Level 2: segmentum organi Short Extended
Level 3: arteria
Subsidiary language with Latin
Non Latin primary language
Taxonomic definition
Taxonomic definition The brachiocephalic trunk is a systemic artery [arteria systemica ] which is the first branch of the aortic arch [arcus aortae ] which supplies the right arm [membrum superius ] and the right part of the head [caput ] and neck [collum ].
Documentation

The brachiocephalic trunk.

This entity receives its name from the tradition and no change would be welcome. However, a few comments are necessary in order to explain what would be a formally correct version of the terminology.

This terminology is mainly presented as a partonomy on one side, and as a taxonomy based on the Foundational Model of Anatomy FMA on the other side. The partonomy is declined around the part_of relation, which receives formal definitions be several authors.

In contrast to the past terminologies, including TA98, which were not formally defined and consequently somewhat approximative or ambiguous about the part_of relation, we want to be strict on this point of view here. Because several relations of the partonomy are of type branch_of, concerning the vessels and the nerves in particular, it is necessary to define the branch_of relation as a specialisation of the part_of relation.

To do that, we consider (following the arguments of the FMA) each vessel or nerve to be the entire tree resulting from it: the main part is the trunk and the several issued attributions are the branches of this tree, this definition being recursive. In this way, the branch_of relation between the vessel or nerve and one of its branches is a part_of relation: the branch is part_of the tree.

Under this condition, the partonomy is properly defined, including the branch_of relation. As a side effect, the trunk generally has no children: the brachiocephalic trunk should better be call brachiocephalic artery because an artery is always defined as the whole arterial tree in this terminology!
Partonomy
TAH:E10200
corpus humanum
TAH:U3568
systema cardiovasculare SOS
TAH:U3725
systema arteriosum SOS
TAH:U3769
aorta SOS
TAH:U3799
arcus aortae SBS
TAH:U3802 truncus brachiocephalicus SOS
TAH:U3803
arteria thyroidea ima SOS
TAH:U13658
radix arteriae subclaviae SOS
TAH:U13659
radix arteriae caroticae communis SOS
Total
5 children
Taxonomy
Date: 21.06.2025