Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Calcified Tissue International
Published in: Calcified Tissue International 4/2015

01-04-2015 | Original Research

Cortical Bone Histomorphometry in Male Femoral Neck: The Investigation of Age-Association and Regional Differences

Authors: Xiaoyu Tong, Inari S. Burton, Hanna Isaksson, Jukka S. Jurvelin, Heikki Kröger

Published in: Calcified Tissue International | Issue 4/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Low bone volume and changes in bone quality or microarchitecture may predispose individuals to fragility fractures. As the dominant component of the human skeleton, cortical bone plays a key role in protecting bones from fracture. However, histological investigations of the underlying structural changes, which might predispose to fracture, have been largely limited to the cancellous bone. The aim of this study was to investigate the age-association and regional differences of histomorphometric properties in the femoral neck cortical bone. Undecalcified histological sections of the femoral neck (n = 20, aged 18–82 years, males) were cut (15 μm) and stained using modified Masson-Goldner stain. Complete femoral neck images were scanned, and cortical bone boundaries were defined using our previously established method. Cortical bone histomorphometry was performed with low (×50) and high magnification (×100). Most parameters related to cortical width (Mean Ct.Wi, Inferior Ct.Wi, Superior Ct.Wi) were negatively associated with age both before and after adjustment for height. The inferior cortex was the thickest (P < 0.001) and the superior cortex was the thinnest (P < 0.008) of all cortical regions. Both osteonal size and pores area were negatively associated with age. Osteonal area and number were higher in the antero-inferior area (P < 0.002) and infero-posterior area (P = 0.002) compared to the postero-superior area. The Haversian canal area was higher in the infero-posterior area compared to the postero-superior area (P = 0.002). Moreover, porosity was higher in the antero-superior area (P < 0.002), supero-anterior area (P < 0.002) and supero-posterior area (P < 0.002) compared to the infero-anterior area. Eroded endocortical perimeter (E.Pm/Ec.Pm) correlated positively with superior cortical width. This study describes the changes in cortical bone during ageing in healthy males. Further studies are needed to investigate whether these changes explain the increased susceptibility to femoral neck fractures.
Literature
1.
Zebaze RM, Ghasem-Zadeh A, Bohte A et al (2010) Intracortical remodelling and porosity in the distal radius and postmortem femurs of women: a cross-sectional study. Lancet 375:1729–1736CrossRefPubMed
2.
Rantalainen T, Nikander R, Heinonen A, Daly RM, Sievanen H (2011) An open source approach for regional cortical bone mineral density analysis. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 11:243–248PubMed
3.
Burge R, Dawson-Hughes B, Solomon DH, Wong JB, King A, Tosteson A (2007) Incidence an economic burden of osteoporosis-related fractures in the United States, 2005–2025. J Bone Miner Res 22(3):465–475CrossRefPubMed
4.
Barrett-Connor E (1995) The economic and human costs of osteoporotic fracture. Am J Med 98(Suppl 2A):3S–8SCrossRefPubMed
5.
Burghardt AJ, Kazakia GJ, Ramachandran S, Link TM, Majumdar S (2010) Age- and gender-related differences in the geometric properties and biomechanical significance of intracortical porosity in the distal radius and tibia. J Bone Miner Res 25:983–993CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
6.
Kaptoge S, Beck TJ, Reeve J et al (2008) Prediction of Incident hip fracture risk by femur geometry variables measured by hip structural analysis in the study of osteoporotic fractures. J Bone Miner Res 23:1892–1904CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
7.
Chen H, Zhou X, Fujita H, Onozuka M, Kubo KY (2013) Age-related changes in trabecular and cortical bone microstructure. Int J Endocrinol 2013:213–234
8.
Manske SL, Liu-Ambrose T, Cooper DM et al (2009) Cortical and trabecular bone in the femoral neck both contribute to proximal femur failure load prediction. Osteoporos Int 20:445–453CrossRefPubMed
9.
Jordan GR, Loveridge N, Bell KL, Power J, Rushton N, Reeve J (2000) Spatial clustering of remodeling osteons in the femoral neck cortex: a cause of weakness in hip fracture? Bone 26:305–313CrossRefPubMed
10.
Bell KL, Loveridge N, Reeve J et al (2001) Super-osteons (remodeling clusters) in the cortex of the femoral shaft: influence of age and gender. Anat Rec 264:378–386CrossRefPubMed
11.
Koivumäki JE, Thevenot J, Pulkkinen P et al (2012) Cortical bone finite element models in the estimation of experimentally measured failure loads in the proximal femur. Bone 51:737–740CrossRefPubMed
12.
Jee WSS (2001) Integrated bone tissue physiology: anatomy and physiology. Cowin SC, editor. CRC Press, New York
13.
Bousson V, Le Bras A, Roqueplan F et al (2006) Volumetric quantitative computed tomography of the proximal femur: relationships linking geometric and densitometric variables to bone strength. Role for compact bone. Osteoporos Int. 17:855–864CrossRefPubMed
14.
15.
Bouxsein ML, Fajardo RJ (2005) Cortical stability of the femoral neck and hip fracture risk. Lancet 366:1523–1524CrossRefPubMed
16.
Lotz JC, Cheal EJ, Hayes WC (1995) Stress distributions within the proximal femur during gait and falls: implications for osteoporotic fracture. Osteoporos Int 5:252–261CrossRefPubMed
17.
Bousson V, Peyrin F, Bergot C et al (2004) Cortical bone in the human femoral neck: three-dimensional appearance and porosity using synchrotron radiation. J Bone Miner Res 19:794–801CrossRefPubMed
18.
Blain H, Chavassieux P, Portero-Muzy N et al (2008) Cortical and trabecular bone distribution in the femoral neck in osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Bone 43:862–868CrossRefPubMed
19.
Rho JY, Kuhn-Spearing L, Zioupos P (1998) Mechanical properties and the hierarchical structure of bone. Med Eng Phys 20:92–102CrossRefPubMed
20.
Koivumäki JE, Thevenot J, Pulkkinen P et al (2012) Ct-based finite element models can be used to estimate experimentally measured failure loads in the proximal femur. Bone 50:824–829CrossRefPubMed
21.
Raum K (2011) Bone quantitative ultrasound. Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg, London
22.
Rho JY, Zioupos P, Currey JD, Pharr GM (2002) Microstructural elasticity and regional heterogeneity in human femoral bone of various ages examined by nanoindentation. J Biomech 35:189–198CrossRefPubMed
23.
Melsen F, Melsen B, Mosekilde L et al (1978) Histomorphometric analysis of normal bone from the iliac crest. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 86:70–81
24.
25.
Brockstedt H, Kassem M, Eriksen EF et al (1993) Age- and sex-related changes in iliac cortical bone mass and remodeling. Bone 14:681–691CrossRefPubMed
26.
Cohen-Solal M, Shih M-S, Lundy M, Parfitt A (1991) A new method for measuring cancellous bone erosion depth: application to the cellular mechanisms of bone loss in postmenopausal osteoporosis. J Bone Miner Res 6:1331–1338CrossRefPubMed
27.
Tsangari H, Findlay DM, Fazzalari NL (2007) Structural and remodeling indices in the cancellous bone of the proximal femur across adulthood. Bone 40:211–217CrossRefPubMed
28.
Ma YL, Zeng QQ, Chiang AY et al (2014) Effects of teriparatide on cortical histomorphometric variables in postmenopausal women with or without prior alendronate treatment. Bone 59:139–147CrossRefPubMed
29.
Ottewell PD, Wang N, Brown HK et al (2014) Zoledronic acid has differential antitumor activity in the pre- and postmenopausal bone microenvironment in vivo. Clin Cancer Res 20:2922–2932CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
30.
Bobinac D, Marinovic M, Bazdulj E et al (2013) Microstructural alterations of femoral head articular cartilage and subchondral bone in osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Osteoarthr Cartil 21:1724–1730CrossRefPubMed
31.
Malo MK, Rohrbach D, Isaksson H et al (2013) Longitudinal elastic properties and porosity of cortical bone tissue vary with age in human proximal femur. Bone 53(2):451–458CrossRefPubMed
32.
Tong XY, Malo M, Tamminen IS et al (2015) Development of new criteria for cortical bone histomorphometry in femoral neck: intra- and inter-observer reproducibility. J Bone Miner Metab 33(1):109–118
33.
Dempster DW, Compston JE, Drezner MK et al (2013) Standardized nomenclature, symbols, and units for bone histomorphometry: a 2012 update of the report of the ASBMR Histomorphometry Nomenclature Committee. J Bone Miner Res 28(1):2–17CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
34.
Thomas CD, Mayhew PM, Power J et al (2009) Femoral neck trabecular bone: loss with aging and role in preventing fracture. J Bone Miner Res 24:1808–1818CrossRefPubMed
35.
Poole KE, Mayhew PM, Rose CM et al (2010) Changing structure of the femoral neck across the adult female lifespan. J Bone Miner Res 25:482–491CrossRefPubMed
36.
Mayhew PM, Thomas CD, Clement JG et al (2005) Relation between age, femoral neck cortical stability, and hip fracture risk. Lancet 366:129–135CrossRefPubMed
37.
Johannesdottir F, Poole KE, Reeve J et al (2011) Distribution of Cortical bone in the femoral neck and hip fracture: a prospective case-control analysis of 143 incident hip fractures; the Ages-Reykjavik study. Bone 48:1268–1276CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
38.
Zebaze R, Ghasem-Zadeh A, Mbala A, Seeman E (2013) A new method of segmentation of compact-appearing, transitional and trabecular compartments and quantification of cortical porosity from high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomographic images. Bone 54:8–20CrossRefPubMed
39.
Evans FG (1976) Mechanical properties and histology of cortical bone from younger and older men. Anat Rec 185:1–12CrossRefPubMed
40.
Zagba-Mongalma G, Goret-Nicaise M, Diana A (1988) Age changes in human bone: a microradiographic and histological study of subperiosteal and periosteal calcifications. Gerontology 34:265–276
41.
Riggs BL, Melton LJ, Robb RA et al (2004) Population-based study of age and sex differences in bone volumetric density, size, geometry, and structure at different skeletal sites. J Bone Miner Res 19:1945–1954CrossRefPubMed
42.
Power J, Loveridge N, Lyon A et al (2003) Bone remodeling at the endocortical surface of the human femoral neck: a mechanism for regional cortical thinning in cases of hip fracture. J Bone Miner Res 18:1775–1780CrossRefPubMed
43.
Power J, Doube M, van Bezooijen RL, Loveridge N, Reeve J (2012) Osteocyte recruitment declines as the osteon fills in: interacting effects of osteocytic sclerostin and previous hip fracture on the size of cortical canals in the femoral neck. Bone 50:1107–1114CrossRefPubMed
44.
Nicks KM, Amin S, Melton LJ 3rd et al (2013) Three-dimensional structural analysis of the proximal femur in an age stratified sample of women. Bone 55:179–188CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
45.
Szulc P, Seeman E, Duboeuf F, Sornay-Rendu E, Delmas PD (2006) Bone fragility: failure of periosteal apposition to compensate for increased endocortical resorption in postmenopausal women. J Bone Miner Res 21:1856–1863CrossRefPubMed
46.
Szulc P, Delmas PD (2007) Bone loss in elderly men: increased endosteal bone loss and stable periosteal apposition. The prospective minos study. Osteoporos Int. 18:495–503CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
47.
Cullinane DM, Einhorn TA (2002) Principles of bone biology. In: Bilezikian JP, Raisz LG, Rodan GA (eds) Biomechanics of bone. Academic Press, San DiegoCrossRef
48.
Holzer G, von Skrbensky G, Holzer LA, Pichl W (2009) Hip fractures and the contribution of cortical versus trabecular bone to femoral neck strength. J Bone Miner Res 24:468–474CrossRefPubMed
49.
Kaptoge S, Dalzell N, Loveridge N et al (2003) Effects of gender, anthropometric variables, and aging on the evolution of hip strength in men and women aged over 65. Bone 32:561–570CrossRefPubMed
50.
51.
Backman S (1957) The proximal end of the femur: investigations with special reference to the etiology of femoral neck fractures; anatomical studies; roentgen projections; theoretical stress calculations; experimental production of fractures. Acta Radiol 146(Suppl):1–166
52.
Hammer A (2010) The structure of the femoral neck: a physical dissection with emphasis on the internal trabecular system. Ann Anat. 192:168–177CrossRefPubMed
53.
Johannesdottir F, Aspelund T, Reeve J et al (2013) Similarities and differences between sexes in regional loss of cortical and trabecular bone in the mid-femoral neck: the AGES-Reykjavik longitudinal study. J Bone Miner Res 28:2165–2176CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
54.
Dong XN, Guo XE (2000) Is the cement line a weak interface? Proceedings of the 46th Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Orlando, FL
55.
Dong XN, Guo XE (2001) Extracting intrinsic debonding strength of cement lines from osteon pushout experiments. In: Proceedings of the 47th Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, San Francisco
56.
Pfeiffer S, Crowder C, Harrington L, Brown M (2006) Secondary osteon and haversian canal dimensions as behavioral indicators. Am J Phys Anthropol 131:460–468CrossRefPubMed
57.
Busse B, Hahn M, Schinke T et al (2010) Reorganization of the femoral cortex due to age-, sex-, and endoprosthetic-related effects emphasized by osteonal dimensions and remodeling. J Biomed Mater Res A. 92:1440–1451PubMed
58.
Bell KL, Loveridge N, Jordan GR et al (2000) A novel mechanism for induction of increased cortical porosity in cases of intracapsular hip fracture. Bone 27:297–304CrossRefPubMed
59.
60.
Jordan G, Loveridge N, Power J, Bell KL, Reeve J (1998) Clustering of cortical remodelling: a mechanism for generating focal weakness in hip fracture. American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and International Bone and Mineral Society (ASBMR-IBMS) second joint meeting
61.
Bell KL, Loveridge N, Power J et al (1999) Regional differences in cortical porosity in the fractured femoral neck. Bone 24:57–64CrossRefPubMed
62.
Cooper DM, Thomas CD, Clement JG et al (2007) Age-dependent change in the 3D structure of cortical porosity at the human femoral midshaft. Bone 40:957–965CrossRefPubMed
63.
Schnitzler CM, Mesquita JM (2013) Cortical porosity in children is determined by age-dependent osteonal morphology. Bone 55:476–486CrossRefPubMed
64.
Chappard C, Bensalah S, Olivier C et al (2013) 3D characterization of pores in the cortical bone of human femur in the elderly at different locations as determined by synchrotron micro-computed tomography images. Osteoporos Int 24:1023–1033CrossRefPubMed
65.
Martin RB, Pickett JC, Zinaich S (1980) Studies of skeletal remodeling in aging men. Clin Orthop 149:268–282PubMed
66.
Thomas CD, Feik SA, Clement JG (2006) Increase in pore area, and not pore density, is the main determinant in the development of porosity in human cortical bone. J Anat 209:219–230CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMed
67.
Rohde K, Rohrbach D, Gluer CC et al (2014) Influence of porosity, pore size, and cortical thickness on the propagation of ultrasonic waves guided through the femoral neck cortex: a simulation study. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 61:302–313CrossRefPubMed
68.
Yeni YN, Norman TL (2000) Fracture toughness of human femoral neck: effect of microstructure, composition, and age. Bone 26:499–504CrossRefPubMed
69.
Bell KL, Loveridge N, Power J et al (1999) Structure of the femoral neck in hip fracture: cortical bone loss in the inferoanterior to superoposterior axis. J Bone Miner Res 14:111–119CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Cortical Bone Histomorphometry in Male Femoral Neck: The Investigation of Age-Association and Regional Differences
Authors
Xiaoyu Tong
Inari S. Burton
Hanna Isaksson
Jukka S. Jurvelin
Heikki Kröger
Publication date
01-04-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Calcified Tissue International / Issue 4/2015
Print ISSN: 0171-967X
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0827
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-015-9957-9

Other articles of this Issue 4/2015

Calcified Tissue International 4/2015 Go to the issue

Original Research

High-Fat Diet Causes Bone Loss in Young Mice by Promoting Osteoclastogenesis Through Alteration of the Bone Marrow Environment

Original Research

Phosphate Binders Prevent Phosphate-Induced Cellular Senescence of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Vascular Calcification in a Modified, Adenine-Based Uremic Rat Model

Original Research

Bone Apatite Composition of Necrotic Trabecular Bone in the Femoral Head of Immature Piglets

Original Research

Fracture Discrimination by Combined Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and Microarchitectural Texture Analysis

Original Research

Rat Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells Cultured on Hydroxyapatite Differentiate into Osteoblast-Like Cells via BMP-2–SMAD-5 Pathway

Original Research

Unexplained High BMD in DXA-Scanned Patients is Generalized Throughout the Skeleton and Characterized by Thicker Cortical and Trabecular Bone
Obesity Clinical Trial Summary

At a glance: The STEP trials

Read more

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.

Developed by: Springer Medicine

Highlights from the ACC 2024 Congress

Year in Review: Pediatric cardiology

Pediatric Cardiology Video

Watch Dr. Anne Marie Valente present the last year's highlights in pediatric and congenital heart disease in the official ACC.24 Year in Review session.

Year in Review: Pulmonary vascular disease

Cardiopulmonary Comorbidity Video

The last year's highlights in pulmonary vascular disease are presented by Dr. Jane Leopold in this official video from ACC.24.

Year in Review: Valvular heart disease

Valvular Heart Disease Video

Watch Prof. William Zoghbi present the last year's highlights in valvular heart disease from the official ACC.24 Year in Review session.

Year in Review: Heart failure and cardiomyopathies

Heart Failure Video

Watch this official video from ACC.24. Dr. Biykem Bozkurt discuss last year's major advances in heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

ACC 2024 Congress Coverage

Year in Review: Heart failure and cardiomyopathies

Heart Failure Video

Watch this official video from ACC.24. Dr. Biykem Bozkurt discuss last year's major advances in heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

Watch now

Semaglutide benefits people with type 2 diabetes and obesity-related heart failure

16-04-2024 Type 2 Diabetes News

Incentivised to exercise

11-04-2024 Lifestyle Modifications News

New intervention for STEMI-related cardiogenic shock

10-04-2024 Myocardial Infarction News

» View more highlights on the ACC 2024 congress hub page

Image Credits