First inventory of resorption lacunae on rods and plates of trabecular bone as observed by scanning electron microscopy.

Abstract

In the present study a novel systematic distribution scheme of resorption lacunae (RL) was applied using scanning electron microscopy. RL, classified as either reticulate patch resorption lacunae (RPR) or as longitudinally extended resorption lacunae (LER) [11, were analyzed and quantified according to their localizations on rods (middle, nodes or both) and plates (central or peripheral) in standardized segments from the femoral head of 24 Caucasian subjects without bone disease. Age and gender variations were explored. No clear gender-related distribution pattern could be detected on plates. On rods of males, however, the distribution of RL tended to be higher at the nodes, but seemed to be more prevalent in the middle or extended from the middle to the nodes of rods in females. Certain other non-conclusive tendencies in relation to age, gender, type of RL and localization were observed.