Osmotic lysis is the rupturing of a biological cell. This is caused by the osmotic migration of water into the cell through its cell membrane up to the point where the internal pressure is beyond the strength of the membrane, after which the cell explodes.
Osmotic lysis is often the result of a stroke, since a stroke leads to a malfunctioning of the cell's metabolism, which results in an inflow of extracellular fluid into the cell.
