MICROANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -While bone is replacing cartilage in the diaphysis, cartilage continues to proliferate at the ends of the bone, increasing bone length. These proliferative areas become the epiphyseal plates (physeal plates/growth plates), which provide longitudinal growth of bones after birth and into early adulthood.

Detailed explanation-2: -Epiphyseal cartilage is hyaline cartilage tissue with a gelatinous texture, and it is responsible for the longitudinal growth of the long bones in birds and mammals. It is located between the epiphysis and the diaphysis. Epiphyseal cartilage also is called a growth plate or physis.

Detailed explanation-3: -The epiphyseal plate is the area of growth in a long bone. It is a layer of hyaline cartilage where ossification occurs in immature bones. On the epiphyseal side of the epiphyseal plate, cartilage is formed.

Detailed explanation-4: -Lengthening of Long Bones Long bones stop growing at around the age of 18 in females and the age of 21 in males in a process called epiphyseal plate closure. During this process, cartilage cells stop dividing and all of the cartilage is replaced by bone.

Detailed explanation-5: -Throughout childhood and adolescence, there remains a thin plate of hyaline cartilage between the diaphysis and epiphysis known as the growth or epiphyseal plate (Figure 6.4. 2f). Eventually, this hyaline cartilage will be removed and replaced by bone to become the epiphyseal line.