gefäßarme

Gefäßarme is a German adjective (inflected form of gefäßarm) used to describe tissues, lesions or regions that contain few blood vessels or have reduced vascularity. In literal translation it means "vessel-poor" and is roughly equivalent to English terms such as hypovascular or sparsely vascularized; the closely related term avaskulär denotes complete absence of vessels.

The term appears in clinical and biological contexts. In pathology and histology, gefäßarme connective tissue, scars or tumor areas are noted for low capillary density and altered nutrient or oxygen delivery. In dermatology, gefäßarme skin lesions may appear paler and show limited blanching on pressure. In orthopedics and anatomy, structures like cartilage are described as gefäßarm because they rely on diffusion rather than direct blood supply.

Imaging and diagnostics use the concept to characterize findings: contrast-enhanced CT, MRI or Doppler ultrasound can identify hypovascular (gefäßarme) lesions, which influences differential diagnosis and therapeutic choices. For example, gefäßarme tumors may bleed less but also respond differently to treatments that rely on vascular delivery.

Clinically, recognition of gefäßarme regions is important for wound healing, surgical planning and interpreting imaging. The term is descriptive rather than prescriptive and is typically combined with other histological or radiological findings to guide management.