The microcirculation includes the smallest arterioles, capillaries, and venules with vessel diameters ranging from 8 to 150 μm and it represents a region where active and passive exchanges of nutrients and gasses take place. The microvessels' rheological properties differ from large arteries: they are less viscous, and demonstrate autoregulation. Epidemiologists study the microcirculation in detail and have identified associations between microvascular disorder and organ damage. The organization of the microvascular network can be different in different sites but the networks serve the common function in the delivery of nutrients to the surrounding tissues. This is controlled by a distribution of blood flow based on local metabolic needs. Under challenge or in the development of diseases, the microcirculation responds by selectively regulating blood flow. A comparison between healthy and diseased states may lead to the identification of changes in the microcirculation that can be used as diagnosis for a variety of vascular related disorders.
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