- See:
-
Metaphyseal Artery
-
Nutrient Artery
-
Periosteal Artery
- Discussion:
- in femoral and radial heads which are almost entirely covered by cartilage,
- vessels enter in region between articular cartilage & growth-plate cartilage,
and hence, the blood supply is tenuous;
- in other regions, the epiphysis has openings that permit passage of large
number of vessels into and out of the ossification centers;
-
growth plate itself is avascular & receives nutrition from 2 sources;
- epiphyseal vessels that supply resting, germinal, proliferating, and upper
hypertrophic cell layers by diffusion
-
metaphyseal vessels that supply zone of provisional calcification;
- in young child, epiphyseal vessels are separated from
metaphyseal vessels,
but following growth arrest of the
cartilage plate, there is an extensive
anastomoses between epiphyseal vessels,
metaphyseal vessels, &
terminal branches of
Nutrient Artery;
-
obliteration of epiphyseal blood supply results in necrosis of epiphysis &
deprives deeper cartilage cells of
growth plate of their nutrition;
- longitudinal growth ceases, &, if collateral circulation is not quickly restored,
permanent closure of epiphyseal plate occurs;
-
epiphyseal vessels are responsible for
permitting longitudinal growth
to occur, whereas
metaphyseal vessels nourish osteoprogenitor cells,
which lay down bone on cartilage matrix;
---------------------------------------------
The role of the epiphyseal and metaphyseal circulations on longitudinal
growth in the dog: an experimental study.
