Abstract
The histomorphology of sub-adult cortical bone reflects the processes of growth, modeling, and remodeling. This study presents the results of a preliminary histomorphometric study of 36 subadult ribs collected at autopsy (age range 5-22 years, mean age 15.4 years). In contrast to adult cortical bone, Volkman's canals, primary vascular canals, and resorptive bays predominate in a background of woven and primary lamellar bone. Haversian systems, evidence of secondary intracortical remodeling, are present in small numbers, but usually take the form of drifting osteons. As a result, many of the parameters used to characterize the mature cortex, i.e., OPD and mean osteon area, are not useful indicators of age or remodeling activity. Variables such as percent cortical area, total subperiosteal area, medullary area, and cortical area, which have been reported to be reliable indicators of bone growth do exhibit a linear association between age and area measurements, e.g., total subperiosteal area ([R.sup.2]=0.49). This paper describes the histomorphometry of a sample of sub-adult ribs and discusses its implications for future study of age-associated bone remodeling, age prediction, and growth.