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.
