Softening, absorption, and destruction of bony tissue, a function of the osteoclasts. [osteo- + G. lysis, dissolution]
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os·te·ol·y·sis .äs-tē-'äl-ə-səs n, pl -y·ses -.sēz dissolution of bone esp. when associated with resorption
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n.
dissolution of bone through disease, commonly by infection or by loss of the blood supply (ischaemia) to the bone. In acro-osteolysis the terminal bones of the fingers or toes are affected: a common feature of some disorders involving blood vessels (including Raynaud's disease), scleroderma, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
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os·te·ol·y·sis (os″te-olґə-sis) [osteo- + -lysis] dissolution of bone; applied especially to the removal or loss of the calcium of bone. osteolytic adjMedical dictionary. 2011.