Sequential trabecular loss as shown by histologic examination of bone specimens; the vertical trabeculae are shown in yellow, the horizontal in blue-green.
(A) Normal 50-year-old male with an almost perfect continuous trabecular network.
(B) 58-year-old male with thinning of the horizontal trabeculae and some loss of continuity.
(C) 76-year-old male with continued thinning of the horizontal trabeculae and wider separation of the vertical structures.
(D) 87-year-old female with advanced breakdown of the entire network showing unsupported vertical trabeculae.
Panels C and D represent the degree of loss of bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration that is generally defined as osteoporosis.
