Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Lau H, Campos A, Jones J, et al. Vasa vasorum. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 16 Jan 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-185955
The vasa vasorum represents the supporting microvasculature of the larger caliber arteries and veins of the body.
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:
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.
Although the presence of vasa vasorum has been established for centuries, their significance in various diseases has only been realized in decades. Pathologies of note are 6,7:
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1. Musil V, Sach J, Kachlik D, Patzelt M, Stingl J. Vasa Vasorum: An Old Term with New Problems. Surg Radiol Anat. 2018;40(10):1159-64. doi:10.1007/s00276-018-2068-3 - Pubmed
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2. Phillippi J. On Vasa Vasorum: A History of Advances in Understanding the Vessels of Vessels. Sci Adv. 2022;8(16):eabl6364. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abl6364 - Pubmed
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3. Ritman E & Lerman A. The Dynamic Vasa Vasorum. Cardiovasc Res. 2007;75(4):649-58. doi:10.1016/j.cardiores.2007.06.020 - Pubmed
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4. Carneiro C, Brito J, Bilreiro C et al. All About Portal Vein: A Pictorial Display to Anatomy, Variants and Physiopathology. Insights Imaging. 2019;10(1):38. doi:10.1186/s13244-019-0716-8 - Pubmed
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5. Heistad D, Armstrong M, Amundsen S. Blood Flow Through Vasa Vasorum in Arteries and Veins: Effects of Luminal PO2. Am J Physiol. 1986;250(3 Pt 2):H434-42. doi:10.1152/ajpheart.1986.250.3.H434 - Pubmed
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6. Nakata Y, Shionoya S, Kamiya K. Pathogenesis of Mycotic Aneurysm. Angiology. 1968;19(10):593-601. doi:10.1177/000331976801901003 - Pubmed
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7. Mulligan-Kehoe M & Simons M. Vasa Vasorum in Normal and Diseased Arteries. Circulation. 2014;129(24):2557-66. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.113.007189 - Pubmed
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