[Cellular density of the femur head cartilage in relation to age]

The authors studied the cell density in samples of cartilage taken from the superior and inferior poles of the femoral heads of 65 subjects between 16 and 100 years of age. This study showed that the average cell density of the cartilage decreased significantly with age and that the decrease was proportionally identical in the two poles of the femoral head. In absolute values, the decrease in superficial cell densty is much greater in the inferior than in the superior pole. The relation between the decrease in cell density with age, cartilaginous lesions of senescence, and arthrosis are discussed.