Ductus

DUCTUS (Latin) and ductulus (diminutive), an anatomical term denoting a passage, duct, serving for the conduction of liquid or air, and sometimes a channel connecting two cavities (Latin canalis in modern anatomical nomenclature denotes a bony canal); e.g., D. parotideus s. Stenonianus, the excretory duct of the parotid gland; D. hepaticus - the excretory duct of the liver. The word ductulus is commonly used in the plural number to denote small ducts: ductuli alveolares - alveolar passages of the lung; ductuli efferentes testis - efferent ductules of the testis, passing into the epididymal canal; ductuli aberrantes - blindly ending ductules of the epididymis, etc. In embryology: D. arteriosus Botalli - a vessel connecting the pulmonary artery with the aortic arch (see Botall's duct); D. venosus Arantii - a connection of the portal vein (through the umbilical) with the inferior vena cava (see Aranzio's duct).