An intracortical study on age, biomechanics and sex-related changes on the clavicle in an elderly Scottish sample using Pore Extractor 2D.

The percentage of pores in an area of cortical bone is known as intracortical porosity, an increase in this percentage can cause cortical bone loss. Age, sex, and biomechanics can cause changes in this parameter. The aim of this study is to provide comparison between sampling areas along the length of the clavicle in an elderly Scottish sample, while exploring the potential influence of age and sex.<br/>Fifteen males and fifteen females with an age range of 67-97 years were included in this research. A total of 90 thin sections were produced from the medial, midshaft and lateral segments of the clavicle. Pore Extractor 2D was used to analyse photomicrographs, assessing parameters such as cortical area (CA), total pore number (TPN), mean pore area (MPA), mean pore circularity (MPC) and cortical porosity (CP).<br/>Differences found between clavicular segments were statistically significant in males for TPN and MPA and in females for CA and MPA. CP produced no statistically significant differences between the segments in any group. Statistically significant differences between sexes were reported for CA in all clavicular segments. All other parameters produced varying results depending on the segment under study. Differences between age groups were not reported.<br/>The results of this study provide further insight into intracortical porosity in the clavicle of advanced age individuals. The intra-skeletal variability reported in this study should be viewed with a consideration for differences in bone biomechanics along the length of the clavicle and age-related pathologies such as osteoporosis should be taken into consideration when interpreting differences between males and females. Furthermore, intracortical porosity does not seem to be influenced by age in this sample, suggesting that change within the final three decades of life is insignificant.