osteon
Sign in to saveright|371x371px|thumb|Diagram of a typical long bone showing both compact (cortical) and cancellous (spongy) bone. thumb|Osteons on cross-section of a bone
Key facts
- Anatomy.Name
- Osteon
- Anatomy.Latin
- Osteon
- Anatomy.Image2
- Transverse section of bone en.svg
- Anatomy.Caption2
- Diagram of compact bone from a transverse section of a long bone's cortex.
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Histogenesis
- Structure
- Drifting osteons
- Investigative applications
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
right|371x371px|thumb|Diagram of a typical long bone showing both compact (cortical) and cancellous (spongy) bone. thumb|Osteons on cross-section of a bone
In osteology, the osteon or haversian system (; named for Clopton Havers) is the fundamental functional unit of much compact bone. Osteons are roughly cylindrical structures that are typically between 0.25 mm and 0.35 mm in diameter. Their length is often hard to define, but estimates vary from several millimeters to around 1 centimeter. They are present in many bones of most mammals and some bird, reptile, and amphibian species.