Unlike cartilage, the bone is intensely vascularized. Nutrient arteries arrive at outer surface of the bone and they penetrate the interior of the bone through holes that exist within the surface of the bones.
After entering a long bone, thinner blood vessels branches of arteries are distributed inside the Volkmann’s canals. From these canals the vessels enter the central canals of Haversian systems and supply the osteocytes to each Haversian system of the bone. The branches of arterial blood vessels that that run along the central canal of a Haversian system nourish mainly the osteocytes of that particular system.
To recognize Volkmann’s canals in sections of diaphyses one has to search tunnels that connect two different Haversian systems.
To better understand the circulation in bones click here to watch again the figure of page 7-16
The figure shows several Haversian systems (identified by H) and several sets of lamellae of the intermediate systems (identified by I).
Two Haversian systems are interconnected by a Volkmann canal, highlighted in blue when the cursor hovers over it.
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<a href=”javascript:void(0)”><img src=” https://mol-en.icb.usp.br/wp-content/uploads/7-16.jpg ” onmouseover=”this.src=’ https://mol-en.icb.usp.br/wp-content/uploads/7-16-MO.jpg'” onmouseout=”this.src=’ https://mol-en.icb.usp.br/wp-content/uploads/7-16.jpg'” /></a></div>
<p>Lamellar bone formed mainly of Haversian systems </p>
<img src=”https://mol-en.icb.usp.br/wp-content/uploads/mouse-1.gif”/></a>
<p>Diáfise (secção transversal). Método de Schmorl. Aumento: pequeno.</p>
<img src=”https://mol-en.icb.usp.br/wp-content/uploads/mouse-1.gif”/></a>
Diáfise (secção transversal). Método de Schmorl. Aumento: pequeno.
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