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Typical ossification occurs as cartilage cells that are
determined to become bone, called chondracytes, develop into
cells called osteoblasts, that in turn develop into bone tissue.
This bone tissue is one of two types, cancellous bone, the
inner largely porous bone where blood cells are stored, and
cortical bone, which is the strong denser outer bone.
The AS condition provides for abnormal ossification in which
the cartilage-to-bone process is bypassed and the osteoblasts
that are intended for repair form new bone structures. The
osteblasts are deposited in the body's attempt to repair the
damage to the bone caused by the enthesopathy.
As the enthesopathy's inflammation cells are infused with
blood vessels, osteoblasts assemble at the site of the enthesopathy,
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weaving into the existing bone's cellular matrix, producing
small points of new cortical bone called syndamorphytes.
These syndamorphytes comprise the bony protusions that ultimately
replace the anulus fibrosus' fibrous tissue, thereby fusing
the vertebrae as they grow across the intervertebral space.
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