Types of Capillaries

continuous capillaries one of the two major types of capillaries, found in muscle, skin, lung, central nervous system, and other tissues, characterized by the presence of an uninterrupted endothelium and a continuous basal lamina, and by fine filaments and numerous pinocytotic vesicles.

Sinusoidal capillaries (also known as a discontinuous capillary) are a special type of open-pore capillary, that have larger openings (30–40 µm in diameter) [citation needed] in the endothelium. These types of blood vessels allow red and white blood cells (7.5 µm – 25 µm diameter) and various serum proteins to pass, aided by a discontinuous basal lamina.

fenestrated capillaries one of the two major types of capillaries, found in the intestinal mucosa, renal glomeruli, pancreas, endocrine glands, and other tissues, and characterized by the presence of circular fenestrae or pores that penetrate the endothelium; these pores may be closed by a very thin diaphragm.