The three-dimensional architecture of vasa vasorum in the wall of the human aorta. A computer-aided reconstruction study.
The three-dimensional architecture of vasa vasorum in the wall of aorta was studied by microcomputer-aided reconstruction from serial sections of wall tissue in two young individuals submitted to autopsy. The outer media was sparsely penetrated by special tunnels containing an arteriole and a venule, which we termed a "vascular cord" due to the broad space between neighboring cords that contained no capillary network whatsoever. A dense venular plexus was found extending along the outer surface of the media, forming a plane of low blood pressure. This characteristic pattern of vasculature appeared to provide an important basis on which to study the way the medial tissues are sustained.
Okuyama
K
K
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Yaegashi
H
H
Takahashi
T
T
Sasaki
H
H
Mori
S
S
D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003196:Computer Graphics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014651:Vasa Vasorum / Q000033:anatomy & histology*