MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF GASTRECTOMY-EVOKED OSTEOPENIA

Gastrectomy leads to osteopenia in the rat, The present study describe s the effects of gastrectomy on bone morphology. Rats were subjected t o gastrectomy or sham operation. Four weeks after the operation the ra ts were killed and both tibiae were removed. Bone morphology of the le ft tibia was analyzed with quantitative computer tomography, the right tibia with histomorphometry. Bone length, bone mineral content, as we ll as indices of bone resorption and formation were measured in the me taphysis and the diaphysis. Gastrectomy had no effect on longitudinal bone growth but it led to a low bone mineral content at both sites. Bo ne resorption was increased by gastrectomy, as shown by an increase in the medullary cavity area in the diaphysis, Gastrectomy also reduced bone formation, as shown by a decreased periosteal circumference and a decrease in the mean periosteal bone apposition in the diaphysis. In conclusion, gastrectomy-evoked osteopenia reflects impaired formation and increased resorption of bone.