Also termed tonus; the normal state of balanced tension in the tissues of the body, especially the muscles. Mentioned in: Contractures. syn tonus (1) in skeletal muscle, a state of tension that is maintained continuously-minimally even when relaxed-and which increases in resistance to passive stretch.
Split and merge into it. Answer by Digitalis. Confidence votes 6.9K. Hardening of the arteries due to cholesterol plaques is called atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis. The term Atherosclerosis literally means hardening from atheroma .In a healthy person, the artiers have walls that are muscular, smooth and elastic enough to allow for variations in blood pressure, which allows the blood to pass through freely.rteriorrhaphy is the medical term for suture of an artery. This is  when a surgeon will close up an artery. If an artery was severed,  they would reattach both sides of the â¦ blood vessel walls, like  stitching up a deep cut. A related term, angiorrhaphy, means suture  of any vessel.
This accumulation of plaque is known as atherosclerosis. Arteries are very flexible and open and close every time the heart beats. They work hard, and the closer they are to the heart, the harder they work and the greater the stress. Over time this mechanical stress can cause lesions to occur within the artery.