perivasculares

Perivasculares, or perivascular, is an anatomical and medical term used to describe structures, tissues, or processes that surround blood vessels. The perivascular compartment includes connective tissue, adipose tissue, nerves, and lymphatic vessels that lie adjacent to arteries, veins, and capillaries. In the brain and spinal cord, the term is commonly used for perivascular spaces that accompany penetrating vessels.

In general physiology, the perivascular compartment participates in nutrient exchange, immune surveillance, and waste drainage. Perivascular adipose tissue around vessels can influence vascular tone and inflammation through the release of adipokines and cytokines. These tissues are metabolically active and may contribute to vascular disease when dysregulated.

Imaging and pathology use the term to describe findings around vessels. Perivascular edema or perivascular enhancement on imaging can indicate inflammation, infection, or vascular injury. Perivascular infiltration refers to white blood cells accumulating around vessels in inflammatory conditions, while perivasculitis denotes inflammation of the tissue surrounding a vessel rather than the vessel wall itself.

Clinical relevance includes conditions such as inflammatory vasculitides, infections that spread along perivascular planes, and metabolic states affecting PVAT. In the brain, Virchow-Robin spaces are a type of perivascular space; enlargement can occur with aging or disease but must be distinguished from cystic lesions or other pathology.