Corelation Seminar

Atherosclerosis
Microscopic anatomy of blood vessels

Presented by:
Shailendra Neupane
Roll no. 2066
Maharajgunj Medical Campus
26th February 2023
 Objectives

• To explain microscopic anatomy of blood vessels

• To illustrate the histological differences between an artery and a vein

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Fig 1: Blood vessels structure and arrangement
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 General Microscopic Anatomy of Blood Vessels
Consists of three layers
Tunica intima
Endothelium
Sub endothelial layer Tunica media
Internal elastic lamina Smooth muscle cells
Reticular, collagenous
and elastic fibers
External elastic lamina

Tunica Adventitia
Loose connective tissue

Vasa vasorum
Lymphatics and nerves

Fig 2: Microscopic anatomy of muscular artery 4

 Microscopic Anatomy of Elastic artery
 Tunica intima (I)
• Flattened endothelial cells M
• Myointimal cells
• Poorly defined internal elastic
lamina

 Tunica media (M)

• Broad and extremely elastic

 Tunica adventitia (A)

• Collagenous
• Contains Vasa vasorum (V) which Fig 3: Microscopic anatomy of Elastic artery
also penetrate outer half of tunica
media 5
Microscopic Anatomy of muscular artery
 Tunica intima
→ Endothelium
→ Sub endothelial layer
→ Well defined internal elastic lamina
(IEL)

 Tunica media (M)

→ More Smooth muscle cells
and scant elastic fibers
→ External elastic lamina (EEL)

 Tunica adventitia (A)

→ Vasa vasorum not prominent Fig 4: Microscopic anatomy of muscular artery

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 Microscopic Anatomy of Capillaries

 Endothelium (E)
• Flattened epithelial cells

 Pericytes (P)
• Flattened undifferentiated cells
• Have contractile function

Note : Muscular and adventitial layers

are absent in capillaries
Fig 5: Microscopic anatomy of capillary

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 Microscopic Anatomy of veins
Tunica intima
Sub endothelial layer
Endothelium
No distinct internal Tunica media
elastic lamina Thinner than that of
arteries
Smooth muscle fibers
have an irregular
orientation

Tunica Adventitia
Loose connective tissue with few
nerve fibers.
Vasa vasorum penetrate the
tunica media

Fig 6: Microscopic anatomy of vein

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Histological difference between arteries and veins

Fig 9: Histology of artery Fig 10: Histology of vein

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Histological difference between arteries and veins
Arteries Veins
Tunica media is thicker than tunica Tunica adventitia is thicker than tunica
adventitia media
They have thick wall Veins have thin wall

Tunica media has greater quantity of Tunica media has large quantity of
smooth muscles cells ad elastic fibers collagen ( few smooth muscles and less
elastic fibers)
Arteries retain their patency and have
round lumen Veins have collapsed and wide lumen
They do not have valves They have valves
Internal elastic lamina is present Internal elastic lamina is absent

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 Histological difference between arteries and veins

Vein Tunica media

Tunica adventitia
Round lumen

Tunica media Collapsed and

wide lumen
Tunica Artery
adventitia

Fig 11: Histological difference between artery and vein

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 Corelation

• Atheromatous plaques are formed in tunica intimal of large and medium caliber arteries
• Myointimal cells present in endothelium may develop atherosclerosis with age by
accumulating lipid

• Endothelial injury and dysfunction is major initiating factor for developing atherosclerosis
• Smooth muscle cells of atheromatous plaques may have migrate from tunica media to
tunica intima

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References

• Wheater’s Functional Histology, 6th edition

• Histology and cell biology by Abraham L. Kierszenbaum and Laura L.
Tres, 4th edition
• Clinically oriented Anatomy by Keith L. Moore et al. , South Asian
Edition
• Robbins and Cotran Pathological Basis of Disease- 10th Edition

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Thank You

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