A 40-year-old woman has a painful swelling of the ear pinna following blunt trauma. Biopsy of the auricular cartilage shows chondrocytes within lacunae embedded in a matrix with abundant branching elastic fibers stained dark by orcein. Which feature distinguishes this cartilage from hyaline cartilage?
- A Network of elastic fibers conferring flexibility alongside type II collagen ✓
- B Absence of perichondrium
- C Presence of type II collagen fibers in the matrix
- D Presence of thick type I collagen bundles arranged in parallel
Correct answer: A. Network of elastic fibers conferring flexibility alongside type II collagen
Explanation
Elastic cartilage, found in the auricle, epiglottis and external auditory canal, contains a dense network of elastic fibers superimposed on a type II collagen matrix, giving flexibility and resilience. It retains a perichondrium, unlike fibrocartilage. Parallel type I bundles describe fibrocartilage, seen in intervertebral discs and menisci.
Reference: Junqueira's Basic Histology: Text and Atlas, 16th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.