GLOSSARY

Spongy bone, or trabecular (cancellous) bone, is a light, porous bone tissue made of a network of thin bony plates and rods called trabeculae.

Structure

The spaces between the trabeculae are filled with red bone marrow; unlike compact bone, spongy bone has no osteons, and its cells receive nutrients by diffusion from the surrounding marrow.

Locations

Inside the epiphyses of long bones, the vertebral bodies, the pelvis, and the interior of short, flat, and irregular bones.

Characteristics