Compston J E, Mellish R W, Croucher P, Newcombe R, Garrahan N J
Department of Pathology, University of Wales School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff.
Bone Miner. 1989 Jul;6(3):339-50. doi: 10.1016/0169-6009(89)90039-1.
The relationship between trabecular thinning and loss of connectedness of the trabecular bone pattern has been studied in iliac crest bone samples from 89 normal subjects in order to determine the structural mechanisms underlying age-related bone loss. Trabecular width and structure were quantitatively assessed using computerized techniques. Highly significant negative correlations were found between the mean trabecular plate thickness and number of free ends/mm2 both in males (r = -0.571) and in females (r = -0.667) (P less than 0.001). Mean trabecular plate thickness also showed significant negative correlations with other structural indices indicating reduced connectedness, whereas positive correlations were found with those indices representing preservation of connectedness. Examination of the relative frequency of trabecular widths less than 100 microns revealed that only 2-5% of the trabecular surface would be susceptible to erosion by a resorption cavity of normal depth. These results indicate that trabecular thinning and erosion are interdependent processes in age-related bone loss. Since only a small percentage of the trabecular surface is susceptible to erosion, and resorption cavities normally occupy only 1-5% of the total trabecular surface, these findings imply that the site of activation of new BMUs may not be randomly distributed but may instead be preferentially located at sites of lower trabecular width.
为了确定与年龄相关的骨质流失背后的结构机制，对89名正常受试者的髂嵴骨样本中骨小梁变薄与骨小梁骨模式连接性丧失之间的关系进行了研究。使用计算机技术对骨小梁宽度和结构进行了定量评估。在男性（r = -0.571）和女性（r = -0.667）中，均发现平均骨小梁板厚度与每平方毫米自由端数量之间存在高度显著的负相关（P小于0.001）。平均骨小梁板厚度与其他表明连接性降低的结构指标也显示出显著的负相关，而与那些代表连接性保留的指标则呈正相关。对宽度小于100微米的骨小梁相对频率的检查显示，只有2-5%的骨小梁表面会受到正常深度吸收腔的侵蚀。这些结果表明，在与年龄相关的骨质流失中，骨小梁变薄和侵蚀是相互依存的过程。由于只有一小部分骨小梁表面易受侵蚀，且吸收腔通常仅占骨小梁总表面的1-5%，这些发现意味着新骨小梁单位激活的部位可能不是随机分布的，而是可能优先位于骨小梁宽度较低的部位。
