Morphometry and Patterns of Lamellar Bone in Human Haversian Systems

Abstract

The lamellar architecture of secondary osteons (Haversian systems) has been studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in transverse sections of human cortical bone. Na(3) PO(4) etching was used to improve the resolution of the interface between neighboring lamellae and the precision of measurements. These technical improvements permitted testing of earlier morphometry assumptions concerning lamellar thickness while revealing the existence of different lamellar patterns. The mean lamellar thickness was 9.0 ± 2.13 μm, thicker and with a wider range of variation with respect to earlier measurements. The number of lamellae showed a direct correlation with the lamellar bone area, and their thickness had a random distribution for osteonal size classes. The circular, concentrical pattern was the more frequently observed, but spiral and crescent-moon-shaped lamellae were also documented. Selected osteons were examined by either SEM or SEM combined with polarized light microscopy allowing comparisons of corresponding sectors of the osteon. The bright bands observed with polarized light corresponded to the grooves observed in etched sections by SEM. The dark bands corresponded to the lamellar surface with the cut fibrils oriented approximately longitudinally along the central canal axis. However, lamellae with large and blurred bright bands could be observed, which did not correspond to a groove observed by SEM. These findings are in contrast with the assumption that all the fibril layers within a lamella are oriented along a constant and unchangeable angle. The different lamellar patterns may be explained by the synchronous or staggered recruitment and activation of osteoblasts committed to the osteon's completion.