Studies of the Subchondral Cancellous Bone in Patients with Osteoarthritis

摘要

The trabecular patterns in the distal ends of the left femurs from twenty male cadavers are analyzed by quantitative stereological techniques, and correlated with the gross dynamic stiffness of the cancellous bone at low audio frequencies. By histochemical methods the degree of joint degeneration at the time of death is established. It is found, in general confirmation of earlier work using less-precise apparatus, that subchondral bone stiffening of almost 50% can occur in early osteoarthritis, before any clinically observable symptoms occur. Such stiffening is shown to be accomplished by a change in trabecular contiguity ratio from 0.7 to 0.8, which is quite striking considering the experimental and theoretical limits on this ratio. Thus no net increase in radiographic density need accompany the pre-arthritic stiffening: changes in trabecular arrangement are sufficient. (Author)