Confocal laser scanning microscopy: A nondestructive subsurface histotomography of healthy human bone

Microscopy of bony tissue usually requires special treatment for decalcific ation and processing of thin sections. Confocal laser scanning microscopy ( CLSM) allows the nondestructive histotomography of organic hard tissue. The aim of this study was to visualize healthy human bone structures and to co rrelate identical areas in CLSM and conventional light microscopy. Each sam ple of healthy human lower jaw (n = 20) was divided into three parts: (1) f resh, untreated bony blocks studied by CLSM; (2) MMA-embedded thin sections (without decalcification), HE stained and studied by CLSM and conventional light microscopy (correlation of identical areas); (3) decalcificated, HE stained, histological sections studied by conventional light microscopy. In untreated bony blocks, microstructures such as osteocytes and lamellae wer e identified by CLSM. These structures could be correlated with conventiona l light microscopy. In CLSM, subcellular structures cannot yet be interpret ed, whereas cytoplastic processes of osteocytes were seen with high contras t. With CLSM, nondestructive histology of cortical bone can be obtained. Th e risk of artifacts due to pretreatment is minimized, and subsurface visual ization does not affect the interpretation.