Tunica externa (vessels)
| Tunica externa (vessels) | |
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| Section of a medium-sized artery. | |
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| Transverse section through a small artery and vein of the mucous membrane of the epiglottis of a child. (Tunica adventitia is at 'a') | |
| Latin | Tunica externa vasorum, tunica adventitia vasorum |
| Gray's | subject #133 499 |
| Code | TH H3.09.02.0.01009 |
The tunica externa, also known as the tunica adventitia (or adventitia), is the outermost layer of a blood vessel, surrounding the tunica media. It is mainly composed of collagen and is supported by external elastic lamina. The collagen serves to anchor the blood vessel to nearby organs, giving it stability.
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Pathology [edit]
A common pathological disorder concerning the tunica externa is scurvy, also known as vitamin C deficiency. Scurvy occurs because vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen, and without it, the faulty collagen cannot maintain the vein walls and rupture, leading to a multitude of problems.
Additional images [edit]
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Anatomy of the arterial wall
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Microphotography of arterial wall with calcified (violet colour) atherosclerotic plaque (haematoxillin & eosin stain)
See also [edit]
External links [edit]
- Organology at UC Davis Circulatory/vessels/vessels7/vessels4 - "Bird, vessels (LM, High)"
- adventitia at eMedicine Dictionary
- Image at About.com
This article incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.
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