Trabeculae in spongy bone are characterized by having no osteons. Which component is absent in trabeculae?

Trabeculae in spongy bone are characterized by having no osteons. Which component is absent in trabeculae?

• A. Osteons
• B. Lamellae
• C. Canaliculi
• D. Lacunae

Answer: (A)

Osteons are absent in trabecular bone. In spongy bone, the network of thin, lattice-like trabeculae is built from lamellae with osteocytes housed in lacunae and connected by canaliculi, but they do not form the cylindrical Haversian systems that organize compact bone. This arrangement allows light, porous bone that still supports metabolic needs through the surrounding marrow and inter-trabecular spaces, while maintaining cell communication and maintenance via the lamellae, lacunae, and canaliculi within each trabecula.

Osteons are absent in trabecular bone. In spongy bone, the network of thin, lattice-like trabeculae is built from lamellae with osteocytes housed in lacunae and connected by canaliculi, but they do not form the cylindrical Haversian systems that organize compact bone. This arrangement allows light, porous bone that still supports metabolic needs through the surrounding marrow and inter-trabecular spaces, while maintaining cell communication and maintenance via the lamellae, lacunae, and canaliculi within each trabecula.