# Endosteum

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Endosteum
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Endosteum.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endosteum
> Source revision: 1277484332
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

The **endosteum** (: **endostea**) is a thin vascular membrane of [connective tissue](/source/Connective_tissue) that lines the inner surface of the bony tissue that forms the [medullary cavity](/source/Medullary_cavity) of long [bones](/source/Bone).[1][2]

This endosteal surface is usually resorbed during long periods of [malnutrition](/source/Malnutrition), resulting in less [cortical](/source/Cortical_bone) thickness.[3]

The outer surface of a bone is lined by a thin layer of connective tissue that is very similar in [morphology](/source/Morphology_(biology)) and function to endosteum. It is called the [periosteum](/source/Periosteum), or the periosteal surface. During [bone growth](/source/Bone_growth), the width of the bone increases as [osteoblasts](/source/Osteoblasts) lay new bone tissue at the periosteum. To prevent the bone from becoming unnecessarily thick, [osteoclasts](/source/Osteoclasts) resorb the bone from the endosteal side.

## References

1. [Netter, Frank H.](/source/Frank_H._Netter) (1987). *Musculoskeletal system: anatomy, physiology, and metabolic disorders*. Summit, New Jersey: Ciba-Geigy Corporation ISBN 0-914168-88-6, p.171

1. ["Definition of ENDOSTEUM"](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/endosteum). *www.merriam-webster.com*

1. Garn, SM; Guzmán, MA; Wagner, B (January 1969). "Subperiosteal gain and endosteal loss in protein-calorie malnutrition.". *American Journal of Physical Anthropology*. **30** (1): 153–5. [doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330300120](https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330300120). [hdl:2027.42/37487](https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/37487). [PMID 5780376](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5780376)

## External links

- – "Bone, structure (LM, High)"
- [Image at dal.ca](http://www.anatomy.dal.ca/Human_Histology/Lab6/103LM2.html)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Endosteum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endosteum) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endosteum?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.