| Tunica externa (vessels) | |
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| Section of a medium-sized artery. | |
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| Transverse section through a small artery and vein of the mucous membrane of the epiglottis of a child. (Tunica adventitia is at 'a') | |
| Latin | tunica externa vasorum, tunica adventitia vasorum |
| Gray's | subject #133 499 |
The tunica externa, also known as the tunica adventitia, is the outermost layer of a blood vessel, surrounding the tunica media. It is mainly composed of collagen. The collagen serves to anchor the blood vessel to nearby organs, giving it stability.
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Pathology
A common pathological disorder concerning the tunica externa is scurvy, also known as vitamin C deficiency. Scurvy occurs because vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen, and without it, the faulty collagen cannot maintain the vein walls, and they rupture, leading to a wide multitude of problems.
Additional images
 Anatomy of the arterial wall |
 Microphotography of arterial wall with calcified (violet colour) atherosclerotic plaque (haematoxillin & eosin stain) |
See also
External links
- Organology at UC Davis Circulatory/vessels/vessels7/vessels4 - "Bird, vessels (LM, High)"
- adventitia at eMedicine Dictionary
- Image at About.com
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.
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