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Trabecular bone does not have a fractal structure on light microscopic examination
Author(s) -
Cross Simon S.,
Rogers Suzanne,
Silcocks Paul B.,
Cotton Dennis W. K.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.1711700315
Subject(s) - fractal , trabecular bone , anatomy , chemistry , materials science , pathology , biology , medicine , mathematics , osteoporosis , mathematical analysis
The fractal dimension of the boundary of trabecular bone in 62 biopsies was measured on histological sections using a box‐counting method implemented on a microcomputer image analysis system. The calculated fractal dimension had a mean value of 0.99 with a normal distribution. Since this value is not greater than the topological dimension (1), trabecular bone, when examined by light microscopy, does not have a fractal structure. Conventional Euclidean dimensions will continue to be the most useful measurements in bone histomorphometry.