Large vein (vena cava)
A feature of large veins, like the vena cava shown here, is a significant amount of longitudinally-oriented smooth muscle in the tunica adventitia. In this H and E stained transverse section, the fibers are seen in cross section. The tunica media consists of circularly-arranged smooth muscle and variable amounts of smooth muscle may also be present in the tunica intima. H and E stain, 100x
Tunica intima
A feature of large veins, like the vena cava shown here, is a significant amount of longitudinally-oriented smooth muscle in the tunica adventitia. In this H and E stained transverse section, the fibers are seen in cross section. The tunica media consists of circularly-arranged smooth muscle and variable amounts of smooth muscle may also be present in the tunica intima. H and E stain, 100x
Tunica media
A feature of large veins, like the vena cava shown here, is a significant amount of longitudinally-oriented smooth muscle in the tunica adventitia. In this H and E stained transverse section, the fibers are seen in cross section. The tunica media consists of circularly-arranged smooth muscle and variable amounts of smooth muscle may also be present in the tunica intima. H and E stain, 100x
Tunica adventitia
A feature of large veins, like the vena cava shown here, is a significant amount of longitudinally-oriented smooth muscle in the tunica adventitia. In this H and E stained transverse section, the fibers are seen in cross section. The tunica media consists of circularly-arranged smooth muscle and variable amounts of smooth muscle may also be present in the tunica intima. H and E stain, 100x
- Smooth muscle fibers
A feature of large veins, like the vena cava shown here, is a significant amount of longitudinally-oriented smooth muscle in the tunica adventitia. In this H and E stained transverse section, the fibers are seen in cross section. The tunica media consists of circularly-arranged smooth muscle and variable amounts of smooth muscle may also be present in the tunica intima. H and E stain, 100x
- Connective tissue
A feature of large veins, like the vena cava shown here, is a significant amount of longitudinally-oriented smooth muscle in the tunica adventitia. In this H and E stained transverse section, the fibers are seen in cross section. The tunica media consists of circularly-arranged smooth muscle and variable amounts of smooth muscle may also be present in the tunica intima. H and E stain, 100x
Image source >
This image was taken of a slide from the Drexel University slide collection.