Metabolic disorders in the spongiosa of vertebral bones are induced chiefly by abnormalities in the calcium metabolism, and also by many other neoplastic and/or non-neoplastic chronic disorders in digestive and in lower respiratory organs which are accompanied with generalized chronic nutritional disturbances.
In the present study, morphological and histometrical changes are discussed by means of histological tracing of the horizontal cut surfaces of the human 3rd lumbar vertebrae in autopsy cases of 35 liver cirrhosis, 37 hepatomas, 96 gastric cancers and in 174 variable control cases. Control cases are devided in 72 non-neoplastic disease, 64 miscellaneous cancers and 38 pulmonary cancers. In histometrical study, volume percent of trabecular bone spicules are measured by a section paper method and/or a quantitative picture analysing system (πMC : Olympus Co., Ltd.). Types of trabecular patterns of the spongiosa spicules are classified in 5 groups ; A (very marked), B
1 (slight), B
2 (slight), B
3 (rare) and C (lack).
Results : Marked reduction in volume percent of trabecular bone spicules of the spongiosa are found in each disease group. Morphological groupings of types of the trabecular patterns correspond very well numerical weight of the volume percent and fall in successive structure of trabecular bone spicules are marked in liver cirrhosis, hepatomas and gastric cancers as compared with 3 control groups.
Conclusion : A histological and histometrical study on the trabecular bone spicules of lumbar vertebral spongiosa in autopsy cases of liver cirrhosis, hepatomas and gastric cancers showed marked reduction in the volume percent and difference of their morphological patterns, respectively.
View full abstract