Blood vessel

The blood vessels are part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body. The most important types, arteries and veins, are so termed because they carry blood away from or towards the heart, respectively.

Anatomy

All blood vessels follow the same histological makeup. The inner lining is the endothelium, followed by subendothelial connective tissue. Then follows a muscular layer of vascular smooth muscle, which is highly developed in arteries. Finally, there is a further layer of connective tissue termed the adventitia, which contains nerves that supply the muscular layer, as well as nutrient capillaries in the larger blood vessel.

Related Topics:
Histological - Endothelium - Connective tissue - Vascular smooth muscle - Adventitia - Nerve

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Capillaries consist of little more than a layer of endothelium and occasional connective tissue.

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In anatomy, the term for when a blood vessel joins another to form a region of diffuse vascular supply is known as anastamosis. This is important in several areas around the body, as blockages in one area can mean that anastamoses (plural of anastamosis) makes an alternative route for blood flow.

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