STAINING AND HISTOMORPHOMETRY OF MICROCRACKS IN THE HUMAN FEMORAL-HEAD

We developed staining techniques that permit identification and histom orphometric analysis of microcracks in the human femoral head 1) from thick, ground bone sections (100 mu m) by prestaining with the Villanu eva mineralized bone stain (MIBS), and 2) from plastic embedded, undec alcified thin bone sections (5-15 mu m) by staining in gallocyanin chr ome alum-Villanueva blood stain methods. Both methods represent a sign ificant improvement in the stainability of the microcracks, cellular a nd tissue elements, and the simultaneous assessment of osteoid seams a nd tetracycline markers by histomorphometry. Shrinkage and other artif acts were minimized, which helped to clarify some of the uncertainties arising from artifacts resulting from some bone staining methods. His tomorphometric analyses of microcracks were conducted on thick, ground sections of subchondral and trabecular bone. Microcracks were more pr evalent in the subchondral bone and osteochondral junction than in the more distant trabeculae. We have consistently localized microcrack ar eas in bone tissues prepared in these ways.