Reactive endosteal bone formation

The microstructure of reactive endosteal new bone was examined using undecalcified ground sections in five pathologic conditions (bone metastasis from prostate cancer in seven cases, intervertebral osteochondrosis in five, Paget disease in four, chronic suppurative osteomyelitis in two, and fracture healing in one). To determine a basic form of rapid intramembranous bone formation, fetal rat calvaria and primitive bones made in clonal osteogenic cell culture were also observed. In slow bone-forming conditions, lamellar new bone was deposited on pre-existing trabecular surface and caused trabecular thickening on radiographs. In contrast, in rapid bone-forming conditions, woven bone was deposited as spicules extending from trabecular surface so as to form new networks in intertrabecular space. This causes obscurity of trabecular margins radiographically. Reactive endosteal bone formation may be nonspecific and have a significance for assessing the virulence of underlying pathologic conditions like periosteal reactions.