perivenous

Perivenous is an anatomical term describing tissue, structures, or processes situated around a vein. The word combines peri-, meaning around, with venous, relating to veins. It is commonly used in anatomy, histology, and radiology to describe the location of features in relation to veins.

In the liver, the lobule shows zonation with a perivenous (centrolobular) zone surrounding the central vein. Perivenous hepatocytes, located closest to the central vein, are involved in drug metabolism and are more susceptible to hypoxic injury and certain toxins, such as acetaminophen. This zone often exhibits characteristic patterns of injury in toxic or ischemic liver disease.

In the nervous system, perivenous inflammation or demyelination refers to processes centered around small veins. In multiple sclerosis, lesions often begin perivenously in white matter, producing perivenous demyelination with inflammatory cuffs around veins. On magnetic resonance imaging, lesions may be oriented around perivenous spaces and can show the classic Dawson fingers configuration extending perpendicular to the ventricles.

In imaging and pathology more broadly, perivenous patterns can aid diagnosis by highlighting a venous distribution of injury or inflammation. The term is used to denote the spatial relationship to veins across different tissues and diseases, reflecting how vascular architecture can influence disease processes.