Growth cartilage in children is located at all of the following EXCEPT which structure?

• A. Diaphysis
• B. Epiphyseal Plate
• C. Joint Surface
• D. Apophyseal Insertion

Answer: (A)

Growth cartilage in children appears where bone lengthening occurs. The epiphyseal plate, a cartilage layer between the metaphysis and epiphysis, drives longitudinal growth through endochondral ossification. Apophyseal insertions—the secondary growth centers where tendons attach—also have cartilage during development and contribute to growth. The joint surface, though, has articular cartilage for smooth movement and does not participate in bone lengthening. The diaphysis, or shaft, lacks a growth cartilage region; growth lengthening happens at the ends and at the apophyses, not along the shaft. So the structure that does not contain growth cartilage in children is the diaphysis.