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Micro-CT analyses of historical bone samples presenting with osteomyelitis

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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.

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Acknowledgements

The author is indebted to Mag. U. Föger-Samwald for her help with this study and to Prof. Dr. Gerhard Spitzer, Department of Theoretical Biology University of Vienna, for helpful advice with the statistical analyses; and to Paul Chivers, teacher at The Cambridge Institute Vienna for proofreading and help with the use of English.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University Vienna (MUV), Vienna, Austria

    C. Lamm & P. Pietschmann

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    M. Dockner & G. W. Weber

  3. Collection of Anatomical Pathology in the Madhouse Tower, Museum of Natural History (NHM), Vienna, Austria

    B. Pospischek, E. Winter & B. Patzak

  4. Department of Applied Anatomy, Medical University of Vienna (MUV), Vienna, Austria

    M. Pretterklieber

  5. Core Facility for Micro-Computed Tomography, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    M. Dockner & G. W. Weber

Authors
  1. C. Lamm
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  2. M. Dockner
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  3. B. Pospischek
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  4. E. Winter
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  5. B. Patzak
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  6. M. Pretterklieber
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  7. G. W. Weber
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  8. P. Pietschmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Lamm.

Additional information

This work was performed as part of a master’s thesis at the University of Vienna.

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Lamm, C., Dockner, M., Pospischek, B. et al. Micro-CT analyses of historical bone samples presenting with osteomyelitis. Skeletal Radiol 44, 1507–1514 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-015-2203-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-015-2203-8

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