Musculoskeletal and Skin Pathology for Medical II Students

Gross Pathologic and Radiographic Features of Selected Specimens of Bone

A. Normal Spine
In the vertebrae, the main stress is compression, not shear, as is the case in long bones. Thus, the vertebrae are mainly trabecular without a thickened cortex. Similarly, the ends of long bone (the epiphyses and metaphyses) have thin cortices and are composed principally of trabecular bone. This is the reason why the vertebrae and femoral necks are predisposed to pathologic fracture in cases of metabolic bone disease.

Slide 1 This is a normal vertebral specimen. Please use it for comparison purposes.

Slide 2 Numerous vertebral bodies from a normal patient. Note the normal trabecular pattern through the cancellous central portions of the vertebral bodies. Also, note the thin cortex surrounding the vertebral bodies as compared with the thick cortical bone present in tubular bones. Cancellous bone has five times the available surface area compared with compact, or cortical bone. For this reason, cancellous bone is more metabolically active than cortical, explaining why early changes of osteoporosis are usually seen first in the spine.

Digital Legends for Labs/Cases
Lab 1
1a | 1b | 1c | 1d | 1e | 1f | 1g
Gross & Radiographs
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h 
Lab 2
2a | 2b | 2c | 2d | 2e | 2f

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Medical II

Updated August 28, 2007