A 40 year old male underwent coronary aery bypass grafting. During the procedure the surgeon applied clamp to the vessel lying anterior to thhe transverse pericardial sinus. The vessel is
The aoa lies anterior to the transverse pericardial sinus. The reflections of the serous pericardium are arranged as two tubes- one enclosing the aoa and the pulmonary trunk and the other enclosing the vena cavae and the four pulmonary veins. The zone of reflection surrounding the vein is j-shaped and the cul-de-sac formed within the j is the oblique pericardial sinus. This lies posterior to the left atrium. The transverse sinus is a passage between the two 'tubes'. The aoa and the pulmonary trunk lie anterior and the superior vena cava and the atria lie posterior to it. Ref: Gray's Anatomy 41st edition Pgno: 995
Aoa
Pulmonary aery
Inferior vena cava
Superior vena cava
Thorax