Carotid sinus

When the carotid sinus (also carotid sinus or bulb ), the initial expansion at the origin of the internal carotid artery ( internal carotid artery ) is called. In the vessel wall of the carotid sinus are pressoreceptors (also called baroreceptors ), ie receptors that register the blood pressure in the blood vessel system.

The pressoreceptors respond to changes in arterial blood pressure, especially the blood pressure amplitude. The highest sensitivity have the va receptors in the range of normal blood pressure. At a pressure increase neural impulses via the ramus sinus carotici the glossopharyngeal nerve to the medulla oblongata are conducted, where is the circulation center of the autonomic nervous system. From here, the heart rate slows (bradycardia ) and blood pressure are lowered reflex.

Pressoreceptors with the same function are also at the aorta. These are summarized by the carotid sinus as sinuaortales system.

Clinical aspects

Apply strong pressure from the outside to the bifurcation of the carotid artery, the Karotissinusreflex ( Hering reflex, by Heinrich Ewald Hering ) are triggered. This is used for the investigation of cardiac disorders, to find out if they are related directly to heart damage or faults in the neural control ( Czermak test).

In a hyper- sensitivity of this reflex can already trigger a reflex response, the backward movement of the head.

The pressure ( manually, by tumors or other space-occupying processes in the environment) occurring on the carotid sinus symptom complex is also called carotid sinus syndrome. They embark dizziness, flickering before the eyes and temporary loss of vision on the affected side.