A HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF HEMATOLOGICAL DISORDERS WITH RESPECT TO MARROW FIBROSIS AND OSTEOSCLEROSIS

A retrospective investigation of 75 EDTA-decalcified Jamshidi biopsies collected over a 2-year period at Aarhus University Hospital was perf ormed. The biopsies originated from 75 patients suffering from idiopat hic myelofibrosis, other chronic myeloproliferative disorders, or othe r conditions with known associations with bone marrow fibrosis. The re lative volumes of trabecular and woven bone, as well as haematopoietic and non-haematopoietic tissue, were estimated histomorphometrically. The degree of fibrosis was estimated semiquantitatively. Finally, the thickness of trabecular osteons was estimated from the number of lamel lae by counting. Patients with idiopathic myelofibrosis had statistica lly significantly more bone tissue than the other groups of patients. The osteosclerosis was primarily due to woven bone. Larger cancellous osteons also suggested a positive balance in bone remodelling. The amo unt of bone tissue showed furthermore a statistically significant incr ease through the groups of polycythaemia vera, essential thrombocythae mia, chronic myelogenous leukaemia and idiopathic myelofibrosis. Paral lel to the increase in the amount of bone, an increase in the degree o f marrow fibrosis was detected. The positive correlation between the a mount of bone and the degree of marrow fibrosis was statistically high ly significant (p=0.0008).