Cortical bone analysis in a predialysis population: a comparison with a dialysis population

This study was designed to characterize cortical bone by histomorphometry in a predialysis population, to correlate turnover, mineralization, and volume between cortical and trabecular bone, and to compare the findings with those in patients treated with maintenance dialysis. We evaluated cortical bone by histomorphometry in 16 patients with stage 3 or stage 4 chronic kidney disease and in 16 dialysis patients. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the distal end of the forearm was performed in seven predialysis patients, and the findings correlated with histologic parameters. Predialysis patients compared with dialysis patients showed increased cortical bone thickness ( p = 0.027) and decreased osteonal bone formation rate ( p = 0.020) and adjusted apposition rate ( p = 0.018), mainly for external cortical bone. In this predialysis population, trabecular bone volume positively correlated with external cortical porosity ( r = 0.723, p = 0.003), external cortical thickness ( r = 0.569, p = 0.034), and external osteonal accumulation (osteonal osteoid thickness, r = 0.530, p = 0.05; osteonal osteoid volume to bone volume ratio, r = 0.921, p