Spongy bone is located inside compact bone at the widened ends of long bones and has spaces in its matrix that give it a sponge-like appearance. What is this type of bone called?

Spongy bone is located inside compact bone at the widened ends of long bones and has spaces in its matrix that give it a sponge-like appearance. What is this type of bone called?

• A. Spongy Bone
• B. Compact Bone
• C. Endosteum
• D. Red Marrow

Answer: (A)

Spongy bone is named for its porous, lattice-like structure, made of trabeculae with many spaces that resemble a sponge. This inner cancellous region sits inside compact bone, usually at the widened ends of long bones (the epiphyses) and within flat bones. The porous network lightens the bone and provides a large surface area for metabolic exchange, while the spaces commonly house red marrow involved in blood cell formation. Spongy bone is the correct term for this type of bone; it is also called cancellous bone, a synonym you may encounter in textbooks. The other terms refer to different features: compact bone is the dense outer layer; the endosteum lines the inner surfaces; red marrow is the tissue within the spaces, not a bone type.

Spongy bone is named for its porous, lattice-like structure, made of trabeculae with many spaces that resemble a sponge. This inner cancellous region sits inside compact bone, usually at the widened ends of long bones (the epiphyses) and within flat bones. The porous network lightens the bone and provides a large surface area for metabolic exchange, while the spaces commonly house red marrow involved in blood cell formation. Spongy bone is the correct term for this type of bone; it is also called cancellous bone, a synonym you may encounter in textbooks. The other terms refer to different features: compact bone is the dense outer layer; the endosteum lines the inner surfaces; red marrow is the tissue within the spaces, not a bone type.