Bergot C, Laval-Jeantet A M, Prêteux F, Meunier A
Laboratoire de Radiologie Expérimentale, Université Paris VII, France.
Calcif Tissue Int. 1988 Sep;43(3):143-9. doi: 10.1007/BF02571311.
Age-dependent variations in the architecture of vertebral trabeculae in both the vertical and horizontal planes were characterized by quantitative image analysis. Images were obtained from autopsy specimens of the third lumbar vertebrae in 61 subjects (30 men and 31 women) whose ages ranged between 33 and 89 years). All subjects had died acutely either after trauma or illnesses unrelated to the skeleton. Using mathematical morphology techniques, we measured total bone area and perimeter, and the width of trabecular particles and medullary spaces in each slice. Between the age intervals 33-49 and 80-89 years: total bone loss in the vertical and horizontal planes was 51 and 64% for women, and 38 and 29% for men, respectively. Mean trabecular width (MTW) in the vertical plane decreased from 172 to 128 micron in women and from 181 to 144 micron in men; MTW in the horizontal plane fell from 144 to 112 micron in women and remained at 114 micron in men. Maximum trabecular width decreased with age in both planes in both sexes. The mode for trabecular width was 111 micron in both sexes for all ages and in both planes. The total number of trabeculae decreased only for women in the vertical plane. Intertrabecular spaces enlarged reciprocally as the trabeculae became thinner, but the widening of spaces was much greater than that expected with trabecular thinning alone. We conclude that age-related bone loss is comprised of two processes: reduction of MTW and fragmentation and complete loss of some trabeculae. We found no evidence of vertical trabeculae thickening during normal aging.
通过定量图像分析对61名受试者（30名男性和31名女性，年龄在33至89岁之间）第三腰椎尸检标本中椎体小梁在垂直和水平平面的结构随年龄的变化特征进行了研究。所有受试者均因外伤或与骨骼无关的疾病急性死亡。使用数学形态学技术，我们测量了每一层切片的总骨面积和周长，以及小梁颗粒和髓腔的宽度。在33 - 49岁和80 - 89岁年龄区间之间：女性在垂直和水平平面的总骨量丢失分别为51%和64%，男性分别为38%和29%。女性垂直平面的平均小梁宽度（MTW）从172微米降至128微米，男性从181微米降至144微米；女性水平平面的MTW从144微米降至112微米，男性保持在114微米。男女两性在两个平面上最大小梁宽度均随年龄下降。所有年龄和两个平面上男女两性的小梁宽度众数均为111微米。仅女性垂直平面的小梁总数减少。小梁间空间随着小梁变细而相应增大，但空间的增宽远大于仅由小梁变细所预期的程度。我们得出结论，与年龄相关的骨质流失由两个过程组成：MTW的降低以及一些小梁的断裂和完全丢失。我们未发现正常衰老过程中垂直小梁增厚的证据。
