I’ve been asked so many times about which end of the blood vessel allows entry of LDL particles that I’ve decided to address the question in this episode. One of the reasons there is so much confusion around discussion of the vasa vasorum is that we only focus on 1 tiny aspect of it and not the whole picture. All that missing information leads to confusion, “fuzzy talk” about the vasa vasorum and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. I’ve decided to do 2 episodes on the topic and in this 1st part, we’ll just look at the full description of the vasa vasorum–its structure and organization. We’ll also look at what is happening at the luminal side to clarify the ‘back door’ vs. ‘front door’ issue. And then I’ll reveal the true significance of the vasa vasorum in part 2.
