Tags: Anatomical Structure.

A Metarteriole (or arterial capillary[citation needed]) is a short vessel that links arterioles and venules. Instead of a continuous tunica media they have individual smooth muscle cells placed a short distance apart each forming a precapillary sphincter that encircles the entrance to that capillary bed. Constriction of these sphincters reduces or shuts off blood flow through their respective capillary beds.

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