The fate of the quiescent surfaces of lamellar bone

Microradiographic and histologic analysis of undemineralized bone was performed in 62 subjects aged 18-97 years. Ten of these samples were also submitted to scanning electron microscopy. Besides the usual lamellar bone remodeling, all types of bone surfaces, namely both haversian and vascular canals and the endosteal and trabecular surfaces, were involved in weathering alterations of the superficial lamellae, resulting in eroded outlines, less deeply notched than the Howship lacunae and devoid of osteoclast. Present as soon as early adult life and randomly distributed, these aspects were recorded in all the bone pieces examined. These observations were consistent with the hypothesis of a particular destructive process in all the quiescent lamellar bone surfaces without osteoclast participation, termed delitescence, which could be partly responsible for age-related bone loss.