Resumen

CABRERA FISCHER, Edmundo I. The Adventitia: Current State of Knowledge. Rev. argent. cardiol. [online]. 2008, vol.76, n.1, pp. 58-63. ISSN 1850-3748.

The adventitia has been defined as the outermost connective tissue covering of a vessel, and does not form an integral part of the vascular structure. The term "adventitia" comes from the Latin word adventicius, meaning "coming from abroad, foreign". These concepts may explain why the physiological role of this tunic has been underestimated. It is well known that the adventitia has vasa vasorum and nervi vasorum with nutritional and control functions, respectively. In addition, biochemical factors may probably account for changes seen in elastic and viscous behaviour of the arterial wall due to changes in smooth muscle function. This study reports a summary of the structural and physiological role of the adventitia: clinical and experimental data are also analyzed and compared with the original outcomes published by the author.

Palabras llave : Elasticity; Viscosity; Vasa vasorum; Arteries.