Bone – Vascular Supply, Circulation, Nutrition

Bone – Vascular Supply, Circulation, Nutrition

The growing long bone is supplied by the following arteries:

• Nutrient artery: It is tortuous and enters the middle of the shaft through the nutrient foramen. It runs obliquely through the cortex into the medullary cavity, where it divides into ascending and descending branches.
  • Each branch in turn divides and redivides into parallel vessels, which run in metaphysis, where they terminate by forming hairpin bends. The ascending and descending branches also ramify in the endosteum and give twigs to adjoining canals.
  • It supplies the medullary cavity and the inner two-thirds of the cortex. The nutrient foramen is directed opposite to the growing end of a long bone.
    It anastomoses with periosteal and metaphyseal arteries.
• Juxta-epiphysial (metaphyseal) arteries: These are derived from arterial anastomosis around the joint. They pierce the metaphysis along the line of attachment of the joint capsule.

“The Role Of Nutrient Arteries In Maintaining Bone Strength”

“Importance Of Vascular Supply For Bone Nutrition”

• Epiphysial arteries: These are derived from periarticular vascular arcades, found on the nonarticular bony surface and enter the bone distal to epiphyseal cartilage.
• Periosteal arteries: These ramify beneath the periosteum and supply the outer two-thirds of the cortex. The removal of periosteum may cause necrosis of underlying bone.

“Risk Factors For Poor Bone Circulation”

Metaphysics is the common site for osteomyelitis in children – mention its anatomical basis.

This is because the metaphysis is a zone of active growth. It is profusely supplied with blood by end arteries, which form ‘hairpin bends’. The bacteria and emboli are easily trapped in these hairpin bends leading to infarction and subsequently to osteomyelitis.

Anatomy Of A Long Bone

The parts of growing long bone:

• Epiphysis: It is the end of long bones that ossifies from the secondary centre.
• Diaphysis: It is the shaft/body of long bone that ossifies from the secondary centre.
• Metaphysis: It is part of the diaphysis near the epiphysis. It is a zone of active bone growth.
• Epiphyseal plate: It is a plate of hyaline cartilage between epiphysis and diaphysis.
• The epiphysial cartilage is responsible for the growth of bone in length. Hence, it is also called a growth plate.

“Early Signs Of Bone Vascular Problems”