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A histomorphometric study of the cancellous spinal process bone in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

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Abstract

Purpose

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional deformity with increased risk of osteopenia of unknown etiology. This study examined the dynamic histomorphometry of AIS patients to gain insight into the underlying pathogenesis of bone metabolism changes in AIS.

Methods

Bone histomorphometry of the spinous process of the 12th thoracic vertebra was analyzed in 33 AIS patients and compared to age-matched normative data. Patients were classified into bone turnover subgroups, based on bone formation rate.

Results

Bone volume was subnormal in 67% of AIS patients, but normal in 33%. Bone turnover was high in 76% of the patients, normal in 9%, and low in 15%. Compared to those in the low-turnover group, the high-turnover group patients were taller and had higher TRAP5b values.

Conclusions

Bone histomorphometry indicated that bone fragility and abnormal bone turnover were common in AIS patients. These abnormalities might contribute to the poor bone status and etiology in AIS.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ms. Akemi Ito (Ito Bone Histomorphometry Institute) for providing technical assistance with the bone histomorphometry studies and for helpful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Hironori Tanabe & Tomoyuki Saito

  2. Department of Spine and Spinal Cord, Yokohama Brain and Spine Center, 1-2-1, Takigashira, Isogo-ku, Yokohama, 235-0012, Japan

    Yoichi Aota

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kanagawa Children’s Medical Center, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Naoyuki Nakamura

Authors
  1. Hironori Tanabe
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  2. Yoichi Aota
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  3. Naoyuki Nakamura
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  4. Tomoyuki Saito
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yoichi Aota.

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Funding

This work was partly supported by a 2013–2014 Japan Osteoporosis Foundation Grant-in-Aid for bone disease research.

Conflict of interest

Hironori Tanabe, Yoichi Aota, Naoyuki Nakamura, and Tomoyuki Saito declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Research involving human participants

This study was approved by the relevant institutional review boards (25–02 and 77–08).

Informed consent

All children and their parents provided informed consent.

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Tanabe, H., Aota, Y., Nakamura, N. et al. A histomorphometric study of the cancellous spinal process bone in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Eur Spine J 26, 1600–1609 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-017-4974-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-017-4974-1

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