blood vessel types Flashcards
what is the name given to the largest arteries(eg aorta)
elastic arteries
what is the name of elastic arteries own blood supply
vasa vasorum
what do arteries lose and therefore become as they get smaller
they lose smooth muscle in the tunica media and become arterioles
what are the features of arterioles and what are they important for
1 or 2 layers of smooth muscle in tunica media and almost no tunica adventitia, they are important for controlling blood flow in tissues
what are capillaries made up of
essentially just endothelial cells and a basal lamina
what are the 3 different types of capillaries and give some examples of where each would be found
continuous = found in muscle, nerve, lung, skin fenestrated = have small pores, found in gut mucosa, endocrine glands, kidney discontinuous/sinusoidal = have large gaps, liver, spleen, bone marrow
what does the term microvasculature mean
it is the blanket term for all the smaller/finer blood vessels of the body, eg venules, arterioles, capillaries etc.
describe what precapillary sphincters are
they are composed of smooth muscle and are found at the beginning of the capillary to help control flow through the network
what are the different vessels that are involved in a capillary network
postcapillary venules(PCV), metarterioles(MT), thoroughfare channels(TC) and capillaries(C)
what are venules made up of and what is their function
they are lined by endothelial cells and contain a layer of connective tissue
functions = important sites for exchange(cells move into tissues)
what are veins made up of and how do largest veins differ from the normal ones
they have a tunica intima as well as a tin continuous tunica media, usually containing a few layers of smooth muscle and an obvious tunica adventitia
largest veins have thick tunica adventitia with bundles of smooth muscle
briefly describe what the lymphatic system is
a system of relatively thin walled vessels that drain excess tissue fluid into the blood stream
