interiorarter

Interiorarter is a hypothetical anatomical concept describing an internal arterial network within the parenchyma of an organ that supplies microcirculation. The term combines interior, meaning inner, with arter, derived from arteria. It first appeared in speculative physiology and computational modeling contexts in the early 2010s and is used mainly as a descriptive label rather than a defined anatomical structure.

In this usage, interiorarter denotes a mesh of small-caliber arteries embedded throughout tissue, connecting larger supplying arteries to the capillary networks. The interiorarter is envisioned as contributing to rapid local perfusion, enabling localized oxygen delivery and heat exchange under dynamic conditions. It is primarily a modeling construct.

Interiorarter is not an established term in classical anatomy. It is distinct from intramural arteries, arterioles, and the capillary bed, though it may be described as a conceptual continuum linking these elements in simulations. Real tissues show varied microcirculatory arrangements, of which the interiorarter description emphasizes internal arterial routing.

History and usage: the concept gained traction in discussions of tissue perfusion heterogeneity and in computational fluid dynamics studies of vascular networks. Critics note the absence of direct histological evidence for a discrete interiorarter network in most organs, and the term is considered speculative outside modeling contexts.

Applications include refining models of perfusion during ischemia, informing tumor angiogenesis studies, and exploring targeted drug delivery schemes that assume intratissue arterial routes.

See also microcirculation; arterioles; end arteries; capillary networks.