Hematopoiesis in osteoporosis--preliminary report comparing biopsies of the femoral neck and iliac crest.

Undecalcified plastic-embedded semithin sections of femoral neck and iliac crest biopsies taken at operation in 44 patients with intracapsular femoral neck fractures were examined for hematopoiesis, osseous remodelling and osteopenia. Osteopenia, osseous remodelling and hematopoiesis were present in over half of the iliac crest biopsies. More than half of the femoral neck biopsies showed osteopenia and replacement of the hematopoiesis by fat cells with virtual absence of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. In these patients, osteopenia in the iliac crest appears to be of the "high turnover type" while that in the femoral neck is of the "low turnover type." These results indicate that the iliac crest biopsy is not necessarily representative of osseous remodeling and hematopoiesis at other skeletal sites.