Micro-CT analyses of historical bone samples presenting with osteomyelitis.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Osteomyelitis is an inflammation of the bone marrow mainly caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. It typically affects long bones, e.g. femora, tibiae and humeri. Recently micro-computed tomography (µCT) techniques offer the opportunity to investigate bone micro-architecture in great detail. Since there is no information on long bone microstructure in osteomyelitis, we studied historic bone samples with osteomyelitis by µCT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated 23 femora of 22 individuals suffering from osteomyelitis provided by the Collection of Anatomical Pathology, Museum of Natural History, Vienna (average age 44 ±19 years); 9 femora from body donors made available by the Department of Applied Anatomy, Medical University of Vienna (age range, 56-102 years) were studied as controls. Bone microstructure was assessed by µCT VISCOM X 8060 II with a minimal resolution of 18 µm. RESULTS: In the osteomyelitic femora, most prominent alterations were seen in the cortical compartment. In 71.4% of the individuals with osteomyelitis, cortical porosity occurred. 57.1% of the individuals showed cortical thinning. In 42.9% trabecularisation of cortical bone was observed. CONCLUSION: Osteomyelitis is associated with severe alterations of cortical bone structure otherwise typically observed at old age such as cortical porosity and cortical thinning.