Abstract

Bone is a highly vascularized tissue, although this aspect of bone is often overlooked. In this article, the importance of blood flow in bone repair and regeneration will be reviewed. First, the skeletal vascular anatomy, with an emphasis on long bones, the distinct mechanisms for vascularizing bone tissue, and methods for remodeling existing vasculature are discussed. Next, techniques for quantifying bone blood flow are briefly summarized. Finally, the body of experimental work that demonstrates the role of bone blood flow in fracture healing, distraction osteogenesis, osteoporosis, disuse osteopenia, and bone grafting is examined. These results illustrate that adequate bone blood flow is an important clinical consideration, particularly during bone regeneration and in at-risk patient groups.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)311-322
Number of pages12
JournalBone Research
Volume1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 31 2013

Keywords

  • Blood flow
  • angiogenesis
  • bone repair
  • fracture
  • vascular remodeling

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