Lecture 6: Structure of blood vessels 1 Flashcards
L Ventricle overviews:
Thick muscular walls, inlet and outlet valves
- Generates pressure
Large and medium art. overviews
Muscular walls to control diameter, plus C.T for strength
- Conducting vessels
Arterioles, metarterioles, pre-cap sphincters overview:
Smooth muscle to control diameter, little CT
- Resistance vessels
- Control flow into cap. tissue
Capillaries overview:
Endothelium, no musc or CT
Venules overview:
Thin walled, large diameter
Veins overview:
Thin walled, variable structure, valves to assist return
Right atrium overview:
Thin, muscular walls
Describe the structure of elastic art tunica media:
Tunica media:
- Lamellar units of elastic lamina, SM and collagen fibres
- Run in circular orientation around the vessel
Describe the structure of elastic art tunica intima:
- Intima thicker than in muscular art.
- Contains longitudinal elastin fibres in sub-endo CT
- Internal Elastic Lamina is indistinguishable from long. elastin fibres
Describe the structure of elastic art tunica adventitia:
- Collagen and elastin fibres
- Vasa vasorum
- Autonomic nerves
Is the transition to elastic to muscular arteries abrupt?
No gradual
Where are elastic areas found?
- Aorta and pulm. arteries
- Store blood and recoil
Describe the tunica intima of muscular art:
1) Endothelium
2) Basement membrane of endothelium
3) Subendothelial connective tissue
4) A distinctive internal elastic lamina (smooth in life)
Describe the tunica media of muscular art.
(Thickest coat)
- Smooth muscle fibres (diam)
- Elastin fibres (resiliency)
- Collagen fibres to limit expansion and prevent rupture
- Sometimes have external elastic lamina
Describe the structure of tunica adventitia of muscular art:
(Outermost coat)
- Collagen and elastin fibres
- Vasa vasorum
