TRABECULAR BONE DOES NOT HAVE A FRACTAL STRUCTURE ON LIGHT-MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION

The fractal dimension of the boundary of trabecular bone in 62 biopsie s was measured on histological sections using a box-counting method im plemented on a microcomputer image analysis system. The calculated fra ctal dimension had a mean value of 0.99 with a normal distribution. Si nce this value is not greater than the topological dimension (1), trab ecular bone, when examined by light microscopy, does not have a fracta l structure. Conventional Euclidean dimensions will continue to be the most useful measurements in bone histomorphometry.