Origin and regional distribution of the arterial vessels of the vomeronasal organ in the sheep. A methodological investigation with scanning electron microscopy and cutting-grinding technique.

The origin and location of the arteries of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) in the sheep were studied by means of dissection, scanning electron microscopy of corrosion casts, and the cutting-grinding technique after injection with Araldite CY23-HY2967 via one of the carotid arteries. Dissection revealed that the most ventral of the three main branches of the sphenopalatine artery is responsible for the blood supply to the VNO. Scanning electron microscopy of corrosion casts revealed that the arterioles of the vomeronasal organ form a microvascular network. Cross sections of the region of the nasal cavity containing the VNO, obtained by the cutting-grinding technique, showed that the arterioles of the vomeronasal plexus are located medial and ventral to the vomeronasal duct. These results confirm the usefulness of the cutting-grinding technique as a complementary procedure in morphological studies of structures containing hard tissues.