elastic cartilage - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about elastic cartilage Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,578,705,363 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

cartilage
(redirected from elastic cartilage)

    Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.

cartilage

Flexible bluish-white connective tissue made up of the protein collagen. In cartilaginous fish it forms the skeleton; in other vertebrates it forms the greater part of the embryonic skeleton, and is replaced by bone in the course of development, except in areas of wear such as bone endings, and the discs between the backbones. It also forms structural tissue in the larynx, nose, and external ear of mammals.

Cartilage does not heal itself, so where injury is severe the joint may need to be replaced surgically. In a 1994 trial, Swedish doctors repaired damaged knee joints by implanting cells cultured from the patient's own cartilage. In 1999 US chemists created an artificial liquid cartilage for use in repairing torn tissue. The cartilage is injected into a wound or damaged joint and will harden with exposure to ultraviolet light.
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link 		Feedback
?Sign in SSL protected
Email:
Password:
Register

Mentioned in?  References in periodicals archive?   Hutchinson browser?   Full browser?
 
One of the problems with cartilage is its lack of a direct blood supply, and it relies on the compression and decompression of the articular cartilage, or on the flexing of elastic cartilage, to create a pumping action that drives blood to the chondrocytes.
Rebuild Joint Cartilage with Glucosamine Sulfate by Darrell Miller / Food/cooking/nutrition community
The epiglottis is an elastic cartilage structure at the root of the tongue that prevents food from entering the windpipe when swallowing.
Epiglottitis-Causes and Symptoms of Epiglottitis by peterhutch / Health, general community
Osteoarthritis happens when the smooth, elastic cartilage on the ends of bones, which acts as a cushion, wears away and becomes rough.
Good to the bone: with new, effective surgical techniques, your back ... by Green, Julia / Sarasota Magazine
 
 
 
Hutchinson Encyclopedia
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.