[Osteopenia, marrow atrophy and capillary circulation. Comparative studies of the human iliac crest and 1st lumbar...

Histological and histomorphometrical measurements were made on normal and on osteoporotic bone from the first lumbar vertebra and the iliac crest of 15 cases. A decrease in cancellous bone was found in both. This was accompanied by a reduction in haematopoietic marrow and a corresponding increase in fat cells. In addition, the numbers of arterial capillaries and sinuses per unit area were also reduced. There is a greater overall vascularization in the first lumbar vertebra than in the iliac crest, even though the amount of cancellous bone is normally less in the former. However, the arborization of the terminal vessels in the iliac crest is more extensive than that in the first lumbar vertebra. These observations provide support for the participation of a vascular component in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.