Volkmann's canals, also known as perforating holes or channels, are anatomic arrangements in cortical bones that allow blood vessels to enter the bones from

periosteum The periosteum is a membrane that covers the outer surface of all bones, except at the articular surfaces (i.e. the parts within a joint space) of long bones. (At the joints of long bones the bone's outer surface is lined with "articular cartila ...

. They interconnect the

Haversian canals Haversian canals (sometimes canals of Havers, osteonic canals or central canals) are a series of microscopic tubes in the outermost region of bone called cortical bone. They allow blood vessels and nerves to travel through them to supply the ost ...

(running inside

osteon In osteology, the osteon or haversian system (; named for Clopton Havers) is the fundamental functional unit of much compact bone. Osteons are roughly cylindrical structures that are typically between 0.25 mm and 0.35 mm in diameter. Thei ...

s) with each other and the periosteum. They usually run at obtuse angles to the Haversian canals (which run the length of the bone) and contain anastomosing vessels between haversian capillaries. They were named after German physiologist

Alfred Volkmann Alfred Wilhelm Volkmann (; 1 July 1801 – 21 April 1877) was a German physiologist, anatomist, and philosopher. He specialized in the study of the nervous and optic system. Biography Alfred Wilhelm Volkmann was born in Leipzig, and enrolled in ...

(1800–1878). The perforating canals, with the blood vessels, provide energy and nourishing elements for osteons.

Additional images

File:Osso por Descalcificação – HE – 40x.JPG, Bone by decalcification (40x): File:Osso por Descalcificação2 – HE – 100x.JPG, Bone by decalcification (100x):

References

* Skeletal system {{Musculoskeletal-stub