HISTOMORPHOLOGICAL AND CHEMICOPHYSICAL ANALYSES OF THE MINERAL MATRIXOF MICROPETROTIC HUMAN BONE

Micropetrotic areas of human bone were analyzed with reference to thei r distance from blood vessels and to the age of the subjects. Undecalc ified bone sections were treated with various solvent, soaking and etc hing substances to establish the nature of the material occluding the osteocytic canalicular cavities, and were examined by means of microra diographic and microdurimetric methods and X-ray microanalysis to eval uate the degree of mineralization in the bone matrix. Since it was onl y after strong etching with HCl that the canalicular network became vi sible under light and scanning electron microscopy, it is clear that t he debris filling the-canalicular network consists almost entirely of mineral substance. The degree of mineralization of micropetrotic bone is high because it is always a more mature type Of bone, but the miner al content of the matrix and the Ca/P ratio do not differ significantl y from those of neighbouring bone where the canalicular network is ful ly pervious.