An opening or connection between two distinct blood vessels, nerve pathways, or other tubular structures in the body, allowing communication between them.
From Greek 'anastomosis' (ana- 'up' + stoma 'mouth'). The term comes from the medical observation that vessels appear to 'open their mouths' to connect with one another.
Your body is secretly covered in tiny anastomoses—backup roads for blood that let circulation reroute around blockages—which is why a heart attack in one vessel doesn't always cause immediate death: you've got hidden parallel pathways.
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