lacuna
[lah-ku´nah] (L.) 1. a small pit or hollow cavity.
2. a defect or gap, as in the field of vision (scotoma). adj., adj lacu´nar.
bone lacuna a small cavity within the bone matrix, containing an osteocyte, and from which slender canaliculi radiate and penetrate the adjacent lamellae to anastomose with the canaliculi of neighboring lacunae, thus forming a system of cavities interconnected by minute canals.
cartilage lacuna any of the small cavities within the cartilage matrix, containing a chondrocyte.
intervillous lacuna one of the spaces of the placenta occupied by maternal blood, into which the fetal villi project.
lacuna pharyn´gis a depression of the pharyngeal end of the eustachian tube.
resorption lacuna a pit or concavity found in bones undergoing resorption, frequently containing osteoclasts. Similar lacunae also may be found in eroding surfaces of cementum.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.