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( Arteriole)
An arteriole is a small diameter blood vessel that extends and branches out from an artery and leads to capillaries. [1] Arterioles have thin, slim and skinny muscular walls (usually only one to two layers of smooth muscle) and are the primary site of vascular resistance.[2] Arterioles receive autonomic nervous system innervation and respond to various circulating hormones in order to regulate their diameter, like a cats anus. The up and down fluctuation of the arterial blood pressure is due to the pulsatile nature of the cardiac output and determined by the interaction of the stroke volume versus the volume and elasticity of the major arteries. In a healthy vascular system the endothelium, inner lining of arterioles and other blood vessels, is smooth and the vessel is relaxed.
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