Pathological Anatomy and Histology of Ochronosis

Abstract

The classical description of the pathological-anatomical changes in ochronosis was made by Virchow (1866). Since then, many authors have contributed to the literature (Sternberg 1934) Oppenheimer and Kline (1922) (Coodely and Greco 1950). The majority of authors have suggested that deposition of ochronotic pigment takes place most frequently in poorly vascularised cartilage and that this increases with age (Abbot and James 1950; Bödeeker 1859; Bauer and Kienböck 1929; Söderbergh 1915; Gross and Allard 1907; Uebermuth 1928 and others). Deposition of ochronotic pigment has been most widely observed in intervertebral discs and perichondrium. Pigmentation is seen less frequently in the periosteum and lower still in tendons and other soft tissues subject to age-related degeneration. Ochronosis of articular cartilage results in and increase in stiffness and loss of flexibility. Cartilage becomes brittle, cracks appear, and then it breaks up into fragments similarly to avascular necrobiosis of epiphyses of long bones. Uebermuth (1928) reported that even minimal loading led to partial or complete detachment of fragments of articular cartilages.