Histo: Bone Pathology Flashcards
What are the main functions of bone?
- Mechanical - support and site for muscle attachment
- Protective - vital organs and bone marrow
- Metabolic - store of calcium
Outline the composition of bone.
Inorganic (65%) - Calcium hydroxyapatite.
Storehouse of 99% of body calcium, 85% of the phosphorus, 65% of sodium and magnesium
Organic (35%) - bone cells and protein matrix (mainly type 1 collagen)
In which part of a bone is the growth plate found?
Metaphysis
What are the main features of cortical bones?
- Long bones
- 80% of skeleton
- Appendicular
- 80-90% calcified
- Mainly mechanical and protective
What are the main features of cancellous bones?
- Vertebrae and pelvis
- 20% of skeleton
- Mainly axial
- 15-25% calcified
- Mainly metabolic
- Large surface
Cancellous bone is metabolically more active than cortical.
Describe the microanatomy of bone.
- Made up of several micro-columns (osteon)
- Haversian canals are found at the middle of each osteon and contain blood vessels
- Volkmann canals are canals that connect adjacent Haversian canals
- Around the Haversian canals are concentric ring of matrix called concentric lamellae and in between these units will be interstitial lamellae
- Osteocytes are located in lacunae within the lamellae
- Around the entire bone you will find circumferential lamellae
- In the middle the bone will be trabecular lamellae
What are the three main types of bone cell and what are their roles?
- Osteoblasts - build bone by laying down osteoid
- Osteoclasts - multinucleate cells of the macrophage family that resorb bone
- Osteocytes - osteoblasts-like cells that sit in the lacunae
How are osteoclasts regulated?
Osteoblasts produce RANKL and osteoprotegrin
- RANKL - stimulates osteoclast differentation and activity
- Osteoprotegerin - blocks RANK thus inhibiting osteoclast differentiation and activity
Define metabolic bone disease.
A group of diseases characterised by disordered bone turnover due to imbalance of various body chemicals.
NOTE: overall effect tends to be osteopaenia
What are the three main categories of metabolic bone disease?
- Non-endocrine (e.g. age-related)
- Endocrine (e.g. vitamin D, PTH)
- Disuse osteopaenia
Where is bone usually sampled from for histological analysis of bone in metabolic bone disease?
Iliac crest
Which static parameters are measured in the histological analysis of bone in metabolic bone disease?
- Cortical thickness and porosity
- Trabecular bone volume
- Thickness, number and separation of trabeculae
Which technique is used to measure histodynamic parameters when investigating metabolic bone disease?
Fluorescent tetracycline labelling
What are the most common causes of osteoporosis?
90% are due to insufficient calcium intake or post-menopausal oestrogen deficiency
List some primary and secondary causes of osteoporosis.
- Primary - age, post-menopause
- Secondary - medication (steroids), systemic disease
List some risk factors for osteoporosis
Describe the ways in which osteoporosis can present.
Asymptomatic - usually presents with pathological fractures
- Wrist - Colles’
- Hip - NoF and intertrochanteric
- Pelvic
- Vertebral (60% asymptomatic) - compression fractures in T11-L1
Which investigations may be used in a patient with suspected osteoporosis?
Biochemical
- Serum calcium, phosphate and ALP (should be NORMAL)
- Urinary calcium
- Collagen breakdown products
Imaging
DEXA
- Osteopenia = T score 1-2.5 SD below normal
- Osteoporosis = T score >2.5 below normal
What is the histological appearance in osteoporosis?
Loss of cancellous bone
Which four organs are affected by PTH and have a role in calcium homeostasis?
- Kidney
- Bone
- Proximal small intestine
- Parathyroid gland
What is the most common cause of hypocalcaemia?
Vitamin D deficiency
Define osteomalacia.
Defective bone mineralisation
What two underlying abnormalities can cause osteomalacia?
- Deficiency of vitamin D
- Deficiency of phosphate
What is the main histological feature of osteomalacia?
Reduced amount of mineralised bone compared to the amount of osteoid (unmineralised bone)
List some signs and symptoms of osteomalacia.
- Bone pain/tenderness
- Fracture
- Proximal weakness
- Bone deformity
Name some radiological features of osteomalacia.
- Bowing of the legs (rickets)
- Metaphysial cupping and fraying (rickets)
- Horizontal pseudofractures (Looser zone)
Describe how the urine excretion of calcium and phosphate changes in primary hyperparathyroidism.
Both increase
NOTE: PTH causes a minor increase in reabsorption of calcium from the urine, however, as it causes a large increase in serum calcium concentration (and hence an increase in the calcium concentration of the glomerular filtrate) it causes an overall increase in urine calcium excretion