The vasa vasorum represents the supporting microvasculature of the larger caliber arteries and veins of the body.
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Gross anatomy
The vasa vasorum has two subtypes in humans 2,3:
arterial vasa vasorum: arises from various arteries based on anatomical location (e.g. intercostal arteries for descending thoracic aorta) to supply the tunica adventitia and outer media
venous vasa vasorum: functions as venous drainage for large vessels into neighboring veins
Sites that vasa vasorum occur 2-5:
aorta and its major branches
History and etymology
Vaso vasorum translates to "the vessel of vessels" in Latin. First described by English physician Thomas Willis in 1678, it was initially termed "vasa arteriosa" by Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch in 1696. The term "vasa vasorum" was coined by the German physician Christian Ludwig in 1739, now adopted in contemporary literature 1.
Related pathology
Although the presence of vasa vasorum has been established for centuries, their significance in various diseases has only been realized in recent decades. Pathologies of note are 6,7:
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