1.Microstructure Analysis of Immobilized Osteopenia Using Microcomputed Tomography:An In Vivo Study
Hironobu Koseki ; Makoto Osaki ; Hidehiko Horiuchi ; Yuichiro Honda ; Ryo Sasabe ; Junya Sakamoto ; Takashi Higuchi ; Sinya Sunagawa ; Minoru Okita
The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2017;54(9):718-723
Objective:To assess the effects of immobilization on the three-dimensional microstructure of cortical and cancellous bone.
Methods:Eight-week-old specific-pathogen-free Wistar rats were divided into two groups:the control (n=12) and immobilized group (n=12). The hind limbs of the rats in the immobilized group were fixed using orthopedic casts for 4 weeks. The cortical bone at the mid-shaft and the cancellous bone at the distal metaphysis of the femur were analyzed using micro-computed tomography.
Results:The values of total cross-sectional area, cortical bone area, and cortical thickness in the immobilized group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Meanwhile, the relative bone volume (bone volume/total volume) and mean trabecular thickness in the immobilized group decreased and the structure model index significantly increased compared with the values in the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion:Our rat model can evaluate the effects of load-permitting immobilization. The results of this study indicate that structural changes in immobilized osteopenia-affected bone arise mainly from thinning of the cortex and reduction of cancellous bone volume caused by a reduction of trabecular width.