venule n : a minute vein continuous with a capillary [syn: venula, capillary vein]

English

Noun

venule

1. A small vein, especially one that connects capillaries to a larger vein.

Synonyms

• veinlet

Derived terms

• venular

A venule is a small blood vessel that allows deoxygenated blood to return from the capillary beds to the larger blood vessels called veins.

venule are blood vessel that drains blood directly from the capillary beds. many venule unite to form a vein.

Structure

Venule walls have three layers: An inner endothelium composed of squamous endothelial cells that act as a membrane, a middle layer of muscle and elastic tissue and an outer layer of fibrous connective tissue. The middle layer is poorly developed so that venules have thinner walls than arterioles. These vessels are pink sometimes due to the high content of nitrogen.

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