Application of Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy in Bone

The optical sectioning method of confocal laser scanning microscopy provides higher resolution than standard light microscope techniques. The use of optical rather than physical sections for detailed histological analyses of bone obviates the need for either decalcification or complex plastic embedding processes which are required as a routine for the preparation of thin microtome sections. In this study we have used confocal laser scanning microscopy for the morphological analyses of fresh unembedding human cortical bone, bone allograft and bone cement interfaces. Our results have indicated that such an approach has provided a relatively easy and rapid means for the assessment of the histology of normal and pathological bone.