Characterisation of Trabecular Bone Structure - Skeletal Aging and Osteoporosis: Biomechanics and Mechanobiology - page 36

Fig. 3 Composite photomicrograph showing histological sections of trabecular bone from
multiple skeletal sites
Availability of human trabecular bone samples has always and continues to be a
problematical issue in experimental design. For ex vivo cadaveric studies, samples
have been obtained from clinically-relevant skeletal sites, such as the proximal
femur, the distal radius and vertebral bodies. These samples have enabled the
morphology of the trabecular bone at sites where osteoporotic fractures occur to be
characterised and for comparative studies (Fig. 3 )[ 49 - 51 ]. Change in bone mor-
phology over time, between sexes or between clinically-relevant groups can be
determined [ 34 , 92 ]. For in vivo studies, biopsies from the iliac crest and the sternum
have been obtained because of ease of accessibility to these sites without the need for
general anesthesia. These biopsies have enabled changes in bone morphology or
cellular dynamics to be investigated from subsequent histomorphometric analysis.
It has become increasingly difficult to obtain human bone material due in part to
changing societal attitudes, human ethics considerations for in vivo studies and
clinical imperative. For cadaveric ex vivo studies, regulatory frameworks, in the
western world, are at best highly restrictive but where access to human cadaveric
material is allowed informed consent from next of kin is at the centre of all