All bones possess larger or smaller foramina (openings) for the entrance of blood-vessels; these are known as the nutrient foramina, and are particularly large in the shafts of the larger long bones, where they lead into a nutrient canal, which extends into the medullary cavity.

The nutrient canal (foramen) is directed away from the growing end of bone.

A nutrient canal is found in long bones, in the mandible,[citation needed] and in dental alveoli.

[2] In long bones the nutrient canal is found in the shaft.

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918) This article incorporates text from a public domain edition of Sobotta's Anatomy.