title: Physicochemical characterization of mineral deposits in human ligamenta flava.
abstract: The aim of our study was the detailed characterization of calcium deposits in ligamenta flava. The use of microcomputed tomography allowed extending the routine medical investigations to characterize mineral grains in the microscopic scale. A possible connection between spinal stenosis and ligament mineralization was investigated. The studies were carried out on 24 surgically removed ligamentum flavum samples divided into control and stenosis groups. Physicochemical characterization of the inorganic material was performed using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The minerals were present in 14 of 24 ligament samples, both in stenosis and control groups. The inorganic substance constitutes on average ~0.1% of the sample volume. The minerals are scattered in the soft tissue matrix without any regular pattern. It was confirmed that minerals possess an internal structure and consist of the organic material and small inorganic grains mixture. The physicochemical analyses show that the predominant crystalline phase was hydroxyapatite (HAP). In the stenosis group calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate (CPPD) was identified. Both structures were never present in a single sample. Two different crystal structures suggest two independent processes of mineralization. The formation of CPPD may be treated as a more intense process since CPPD minerals are characterized by bigger values of the structural parameters and higher density than HAP deposits. The formation of HAP minerals is a soft tissue degeneration process that begins, in some cases, at early age or may not occur at all. Various density and volume of mineral grains indicate that the mineralization process does not occur in a constant environment and proceeds with various speeds. The formation of minerals in ligamenta flava is not directly associated with diagnosed spinal canal stenosis.
authors.affiliation: M. Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland. sylwia.orzechowska@uj.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Sylwia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orzechowska
authors.affiliation: M. Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wróbel
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, R. Ingardena 3, 30-060, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kozieł
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, R. Ingardena 3, 30-060, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Wiesław
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Łasocha
authors.affiliation: M. Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland.|Department of Biophysics, Jagiellonian University Medical College, św. Łazarza 16, 31-530, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Eugeniusz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rokita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015519:Bone Density; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D017886:Durapatite / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017843:Ligamentum Flavum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008903:Minerals / Q000737:chemistry*; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D017886:Durapatite
keywords: Ligamentum flavum; Micro-tomography; Mineralization; Physicochemical characterization; Structural analysis