title: Presence of osteoclasts in middle ear cholesteatoma: a study of undecalcified bone sections.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Osteoclasts are unlikely to be involved in bone resorption in middle ear cholesteatoma.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The authors searched for osteoclasts in undecalcified bone sections in patients with middle ear cholesteatoma to determine whether and to what extent these cells are involved in this disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve patients, eight men and four women, aged 30-87 years, who underwent tympanomastoidectomy were enrolled. Six patients had primary acquired middle ear cholesteatoma (cholesteatoma group) and the other six patients had other otologic diseases including otosclerosis, non-cholesteatomatous chronic otitis media, adhesive otitis media, perilymphatic fistula and ossicular malformation (control group). The scutum bone was collected during surgery, fixed with ethanol, stained with Villanueva bone stain, and embedded in methyl methacrylate. Five-micrometer-thick sections were prepared and examined under a polarizing microscope. Images were analyzed using a semiautomatic graphics system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No osteoclasts were seen in any of the samples in either group. To avoid the risk of under-estimating the presence of osteoclasts, the number of osteoclasts was considered to be <1 in each sample, and the osteoclast density was calculated. The osteoclast densities in both the cholesteatoma and control groups were significantly lower than the sex- and age-matched standard value of the normal iliac cortical bone (p = .028).
authors: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine , University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors: Hiroki
authors: H
authors: Koizumi
authors: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine , University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors: Hideaki
authors: H
authors: Suzuki
authors: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine , University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors: Rintaro
authors: R
authors: Kawaguchi
authors: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine , University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors: Koichi
authors: K
authors: Hashida
authors: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine , University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors: Nobusuke
authors: N
authors: Hohchi
authors: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine , University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors: Jun-Ichi
authors: JI
authors: Ohkubo
authors: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine , University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors: Takahisa
authors: T
authors: Tabata
authors: a Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine , University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors: Takuro
authors: T
authors: Kitamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010010:Osteoclasts; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Middle ear cholesteatoma; bone resorption; osteoclast; scutum bone; undecalcified bone section