Virtual Microscopy > Musculoskeletal > Bone Histology
Case 1:
A 43 year old male presents to his primary care physician with left proximal femur and back pain. Radiographs of these areas demonstrate enlarged bones with thickened, coarse cortices and cancellous bone in the left proximal femur and at L1-L2. An excisional biopsy of the proximal femur demonstrated changes that were interpreted as Paget disease of bone. The slides available for study demonstrate normal developing bone, enchrondral ossification and Paget disease of bone.
Slides: [normal developing bone] [enchondral ossification] [normal ground bone] [Paget disease of bone]
- Identify the osteoblasts. From what cells are osteoblasts derived? What is their function? What are their major protein products? Where are the osteocytes located? What is their function? How do the osteocytes receive nutrients?
- How is compact bone distinguished from spongy bone? Where are these two types of bone located in the body? Distinguish the two microscopic types of bone from one another: lamellar and woven. How do they differ?
- How does the bone in Paget disease differ from normal lamellar bone? Identify the osteoclast within Howship’s lacuna. From what cell lineage do these cells derive? If a ruffled border is present on the osteoclast, where is it located? What is the function of an osteoclast? What products determine osteoclastic activity?
