title: 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.
  
  
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Osteomyelitis is associated with severe alterations of cortical bone structure otherwise typically observed at old age such as cortical porosity and cortical thinning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University Vienna (MUV), Vienna, Austria, Christiane.Lamm@gmx.net.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lamm
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dockner
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pospischek
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Patzak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pretterklieber
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pietschmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002102:Cadaver; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography