MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -What are arterioles? An arteriole (är-’tir-ē-, ōl) is a very small blood vessel that branches off from your artery and carries blood away from your heart to your tissues and organs. Arterioles are small arteries that link up to capillaries, which are smaller yet.

Detailed explanation-2: -The arterioles are the smallest arteries, with a caliber of between 0.3 mm and 10 microns (µm). The largest arterioles are endowed with three tunica, but the smallest arterioles, which lead into capillary beds, constitutes no more than a single layer of smooth muscle cells, arranged in a spiral around endothelium.

Detailed explanation-3: -Capillaries, the smallest and most numerous of the blood vessels, form the connection between the vessels that carry blood away from the heart (arteries) and the vessels that return blood to the heart (veins). The primary function of capillaries is the exchange of materials between the blood and tissue cells.

Detailed explanation-4: -Elastic arteries. Muscular arteries. Arterioles.