Metarteriole

Metarteriole
Illu capillary.jpg

A Metarteriole (or arterial capillary) is a short vessel that links arterioles and venules. Instead of a continuous tunica media, they have individual smooth muscle cells placed a short distance apart, each forming a precapillary sphincter that encircles the entrance to that capillary bed. Constriction of these sphincters reduces or shuts off blood flow through their respective capillary beds. This allows the blood to be diverted to elsewhere in the body.

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  • metarteriole — One of the small peripheral blood vessel s between the arterioles and the true capillaries that contain scattered groups of smooth muscle fibers in their walls. [meta + arteriole] * * * met·ar·te·ri·ole .är tir ē .ōl n any of the delicate blood… …   Medical dictionary

  • metarteriole — met·ar·te·ri·ole …   English syllables

  • metarteriole — ˌmed.ˌärˈtirēˌōl noun Etymology: meta + arteriole : a delicate blood vessel held to connect some arteries and veins and distinguished from a true capillary by the presence of smooth muscle in its walls …   Useful english dictionary

  • VAISSEAUX SANGUINS ET LYMPHATIQUES — L’angéiologie est une spécialité médicale autonome qui regroupe les études portant sur l’anatomie, la physiologie et la thérapeutique des maladies des vaisseaux périphériques: veines, artères, lymphatiques et capillaires. Cette discipline vise à… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Capillary — Capillaries are the smallest of a body s blood vessels, measuring 5 10 μm in diameter, which connect arterioles and venules, and enable the interchange of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and many other nutrient and waste chemical substances… …   Wikipedia

  • Arteriole — An arteriole is a small diameter blood vessel that extends and branches out from an artery and leads to capillaries. [cite book last = Maton first = Anthea authorlink = coauthors = Jean Hopkins, Charles William McLaughlin, Susan Johnson, Maryanna …   Wikipedia

  • Microvessel — or microvasculature can refer to: Arteriole, a small diameter blood vessel that extends and branches out from an artery and leads to capillaries Capillary, the smallest blood vessels Metarteriole, a vessel that links arterioles and capillaries… …   Wikipedia

  • Capillary — One of the tiny blood vessels that connect the arterioles (the smallest divisions of the arteries) and the venules (the smallest divisions of the veins). The capillaries form a fine network in many parts of the body. Although minute, the… …   Medical dictionary

  • precapillary — Preceding a capillary; an arteriole or venule. * * * pre·cap·il·lary kap ə .ler ē, Brit usu kə pil ə rē adj being on the arterial side of and immediately adjacent to a capillary precapillary n, pl lar·ies METARTERIOLE * * * pre·cap·il·lary (pre… …   Medical dictionary

  • arterial capillary — a type of minute vessel lacking a continuous muscular coat, intermediate in structure and location between an arteriole and a capillary; called also precapillary, precapillary arteriole, and metarteriole …   Medical dictionary

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