Corpus: Perichondrium

The perichondrium is a tight layer of specialised connective tissue that covers the surfaces of cartilage tissues. It is firmly connected to the cartilage tissue by collagen fibres.

The perichondrium is made up of 2 layers:

• Stratum fibrosum: The outer fibrous layer is a tight connective tissue rich in collagen fibres. This layer ensures that the cartilage has a high degree of dimensional stability. It contains blood and lymph vessels as well as nerves.
• Stratum cellulare: This inner, cell-rich chondrogenic cell layer is also known as the "stratum chondrogenicum". It contains fibroblasts and undifferentiated mesenchymal cells. The latter can transform into chondroblasts or chondrocytes and thus ensure appositional cartilage growth.

With the exception of hyaline articular cartilage and fibrocartilage, all cartilage is surrounded by a perichondrium.

The perichondrium contains a capillary network that is responsible for supplying the entire cartilage tissue it surrounds. Nutrients and oxygen are transported from the perichondrium to the cartilage cells by means of diffusion in the ground substance.

As the blood vessels that nourish the cartilage only reach as far as the stratum fibrosum, cartilage tissue regenerates very slowly. Cartilage injuries are therefore associated with a long healing phase.