Direct Three-Dimensional Morphometric Analysis of Human Cancellous Bone: Microstructural Data from Spine, Femur, Iliac Crest, and Calcaneus

TLDR

Cancellous bone architecture differs across skeletal sites and disease states, with aging and disease causing plate perforation and rod dissolution that shift structural types, so traditional fixed‑model histomorphometry yields questionable results, whereas 3D measurement techniques can capture the true architecture without structural assumptions. The study aims to develop and apply direct 3D methods for analyzing cancellous bone architecture. Using a European Union BIOMED I project, 260 micro‑CT scanned bone biopsies from five skeletal sites of 52 donors were evaluated with both traditional indirect histomorphometric and newly developed direct 3D analyses. The direct 3D analysis revealed significant method differences and a stronger correlation with bone volume fraction, showing that low bone mass samples are characterized mainly by a reduced plate‑to‑rod ratio and, to a lesser extent, thinner trabecular elements.

Abstract

Abstract The appearance of cancellous bone architecture is different for various skeletal sites and various disease states. During aging and disease, plates are perforated and connecting rods are dissolved. There is a continuous shift from one structural type to the other. So traditional histomorphometric procedures, which are based on a fixed model type, will lead to questionable results. The introduction of three-dimensional (3D) measuring techniques in bone research makes it possible to capture the actual architecture of cancellous bone without assumptions of the structure type. This requires, however, new methods that make direct use of the 3D information. Within the framework of a BIOMED I project of the European Union, we analyzed a total of 260 human bone biopsies taken from five different skeletal sites (femoral head, vertebral bodies L2 and L4, iliac crest, and calcaneus) from 52 donors. The samples were measured three-dimensionally with a microcomputed tomography scanner and subsequently evaluated with both traditional indirect histomorphometric methods and newly developed direct ones. The results show significant differences between the methods and in their relation to the bone volume fraction. Based on the direct 3D analysis of human bone biopsies, it appears that samples with a lower bone mass are primarily characterized by a smaller plate-to-rod ratio, and to a lesser extent by thinner trabecular elements.