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.
View an animation of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the arteries. Plaque is made of cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin (a clotting material in the blood). Atherosclerosis is a type of arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis is a general term for the thickening and hardening of arteries.