ENDOCHONDRAL OSSIFICATION – 1
Endochondral ossification happens on a cartilage tissue template. The extracellular matrix of this cartilage serves as support for bone tissue deposition.
Cartilage tissue undergoes several modifications that were briefly discussed when analyzing the growth of long bones. This growth process, discussed above, occurs through endochondral ossification in the cartilage of the epiphyseal disc.
During fetal life, the bones that will be formed by endochondral ossification initially exist as cartilaginous pieces (cartilage templates), whose appearance is similar to that of future bones.