Author: Richard UrmanPublisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197506070
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 301
Book Description
"This important manuscript reviews basic vascular anatomy and physiology. The vascular system is part of the cardiovascular system, which maintains blood supply to all organs and tissues to upkeep the human metabolic activities. Vascular system has three components: artery, vein, and capillaries where oxygen, nutrients and metabolites exchange. Vascular wall biology has been a very hot topic for the last decades since it is involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes, yet many aspects remain unknown. There are three layers in the vascular wall: Tunica intima, Tunica media and Tunica adventitia. Adventitia has mainly collagenous and elastic fibers, and its physiological function was mostly unknown till recently it is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The vascular tone can be altered by neurohumoral and other factors. The brain and the heart and other vital organs have the capability to regulate their blood flow via a phenomenon called "autoregulation", which maintains relatively constant blood flow to vital organs over a wide range of perfusion pressure"--
