A comparative study of bone biopsies from the iliac crest, the tibial bone, and the lumbar spine

BACKGROUND: Patients with an impaired renal function show a high incidence of bone and mineral disturbances. These ‘chronic kidney disease – mineral and bone disorders’ (CKD-MBD) range from high turnover osteoporosis to adynamic bone disease. Currently, the histomorphometric analysis of a bone biopsy taken from the iliac crest is viewed as the gold standard for CKD-MBD subtype differentiation. However, the clinical relevance of such a biopsy is questionable since iliac crest fractures are an extremely rare finding. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate if the histomorphometric parameter ‘trabecular bone volume (BV/TV)’ from the iliac crest is representative for other biopsy locations. We chose two skeletal sites of higher fracture risk for testing, namely, the tibial bone and the lumbar spine, to examine if the current gold standard of bone biopsy is indeed golden. METHODS: Bone biopsies were taken from 12 embalmed body donors at the iliac crest, the proximal tibia, and the lumbar vertebral body, respectively. Masson-Goldner stained sections of methyl methacrylate embedded biopsies were used for trabecular bone volume calculation. Furthermore, exemplary μ-computed tomography (XtremeCT) scans with subsequent analysis were performed. RESULTS: Median values of trabecular bone volume were comparable between all body donors with median (interquartile range, IQR) 18.3% (10.9–22.9%) at the iliac crest, 21.5% (9.5–40.1%) at the proximal tibia, and 16.3% (11.4–25.0%) at the lumbar spine. However, single values showed extensive intra-individual variation, which were also confirmed by XtremeCT imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Distinct intra-individual heterogeneity of trabecular bone volume elucidate why a bone biopsy from one site does not necessarily predict patient relevant endpoints like hip or spine fractures. Physicians interpreting bone biopsy results should know this limitation of the current gold standard for CKD-MBD diagnostic, especially, when systemic therapeutic decisions should be based on it.