spiral artery


spi·ral ar·ter·y

one of the corkscrewlike arteries in premenstrual or progestational endometrium. Synonym(s): coiled artery of the uterus

spiral artery

The coiled terminal branch of a uterine artery. It supplies the superficial two thirds of the endometrium, and, in a pregnant uterus, it empties into intervillous spaces, supplying blood that bathes the chorionic villi at the placental site. Synonym: coiled arterySee also: artery