Studies on the arrangement of the collagenous fibers in infant epiphyseal plates using polarized light and the scanning electron microscope.

The architecture of the collagenous fibers in epiphyseal plates of infantile long bones was investigated using polarized light and scanning electron microscope. In the zone of columnar cartilage the collagenous fiber bundles are arranged longitudinally in the intercolumnar cartilaginous septa. In addition to this main longitudinal orientation, some of the fibers branch off at an acute angle and flow through the cartilage columns surrounding rhombus-shaped groups of chondrocytes. In the area adjaced to the inert cartilage the collagen fibers become curved and form a network of arcades. In the zone of inert cartilage the collagenous fibers are arranged in a honeycomb-like fashion. The importance of the arrangement of the collagen fibers to the loading strength of the epiphyseal plate is discussed.