RESUMEN
We report the case of a man with osteolytic lesions of the right mandible due to chronic osteomyelitis, with delayed healing after six months of antibiotic therapy. The patient received off-label therapy with strontium ranelate, with significant radiological improvement of his condition after 3 months.
RESUMEN
AIMS: The aim of this study was the development of a simplified technique for bone mineral histomorphology on large undecalcified bone samples. Established techniques, such as undecalcified bone thin sectioning, ultrathin grinding, surface-stained block grinding and micro-computerized tomography (CT), are expensive, time-consuming and put very high demands on equipment, safety standards, personnel and laboratory facilities. METHODS AND RESULTS: The method is based on the surface-stained block-grinding principle; however, its novelty lies in the selection of user-friendly, safe and low-cost materials, equipment and digitization techniques. We describe in detail the relevant steps, as well as many practical tips for their successful implementation: accurate bone cutting in thin sections with a customized arrangement on a commercial bandsaw, defatting with sodium hypochlorite, embedding in epoxy resin blocks at room temperature, silicon carbide paper grinding, von Kossa staining, flatbed scanner digitization and image processing. CONCLUSION: We believe that the proposed methodology could contribute to the expansion of the study of bone tissue, as it enables the rapid examination of bone specimens on a large scale with minimal laboratory requirements and consumables costs.