The use of micro-CT and histological analysis in the diagnosis of Paget's disease
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Paget's disease (osteitis deformans) is a metabolic disease of unclear aetiology, characterised by excessive bone resorption followed by the formation of structurally deficient bone. The most commonly affected bones are the vertebral column, pelvis, femur, skull and sacrum. The affected bone is more prone to deformities and fractures. The disease manifests itself in the fifth or sixth decade of life. The current incidence of Paget's disease in the Czech Republic is approximately 3?% and it is one of the most common metabolic diseases. However, findings on historical skeletal remains are still rare. During archaeological research in Líbivá near Břeclav, possible manifestations of Paget's disease were observed on one of the skeletons (grave No. 10) at a burial site from an earlier phase of the Migration Period. A skeleton with possible manifestations of Paget's disease was subjected to anthropological and palaeopathological analyses. Macroscopic, histological and micro-CT examinations were used to evaluate pathological changes. The skeletal remains of a male about 60 years old had significant pathological changes on the skull, vertebrae, long bones and rib. The lesions were localised on the skull and vertebrae. Fractures healed by the pseudoarthrosis were observed on the 5th lumbar vertebrae and the 1st rib. On the postcranial skeleton, the spongiosis of the long bones was quite abundant, diploe of the skull was wide and showed a pumicelike structure. The histological examination of bone tissue sections showed a mosaic pattern, a hallmark of Paget's disease. Micro-CT of the cranial vault showed the typical bone structure in Paget's disease. The bone has lost its homogeneous structure, there is a clearing at the site of osteolytic foci, thickening at the site of new bone formation and only sporadically there are fragments of normal bone tissue. There is no recognisable boundary between compact and spongiosis bone. The results of the methods confirmed the diagnosis of Paget's disease. |