HM Practical - Blood Vessel Histology

Introduction

HM/A Practical 3 for Monday July 23 and Wednesday July 25.

This page provides histology support information for blood vessel structure. It does not cover the pathology content.

To understand the microscopic appearance of normal blood vessels of different dimensions and to recognize changes in the arterial wall as seen in atherosclerosis.

Normal structure of large and medium blood vessels; tunica intima, tunica media & tunica adventitia and capillaries.
Relation of blood vessel structure to function.
Abnormalities of arteries in atherosclerosis.

Note the features listed for the following virtual slides linked from: http://vslides.unsw.edu.au

Aorta (elastic artery) - (2 virtual slides) Showing layers of the wall: tunica intima, tunica media and tunica adventitia. The media is extensive with multiple layers of smooth muscle mixed with elastic laminae, some of which are fenestrated. Vasa vasorum and nervi vasorum in the tunica adventitia; capillaries in adipose tissue surrounding the artery. (Note: capillaries are roughly 8 micrometers in diameter, enough to see 1 or 2 red blood cells inside the lumen).
Medium sized (muscular) artery and vein - (2 virtual slides) Distinct layers of wall of an artery: tunica intima, internal elastic lamina, tunica media (many layers of smooth muscle), external elastic lamina (multiple layers) extending into tunica adventitia; In the vein, the same 3 tunics can be seen but the tunica media is reduced, and the tunica adventitia is wider compared to the artery.
Vena cava - Showing the 3 layers with an extensive tunica adventitia. Special features are the longitudinal smooth muscle bundles in the tunica adventitia.
Atherosclerosis, artery - Not covered on this support page. This section of a muscular artery from a 60-year-old male is very different from the normal vessels that you have just looked at. An adaptive tutorial is available to assist you to identify the features in this section.