Imaging of Age-Related Pathological Changes of the Bone Marrow and Immune System
摘要
Bone marrow is found in the center of most bones and is divided into two types of marrow that contains distinct cells and biochemical composition and specific vascularization: (1) the red bone marrow contains hematopoietic stem cells (60%) differentiating into red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets and adipocytes (40%) and (2) the yellow marrow contains 95% of adipocytes and 5% of stem cells differentiating into cartilage, bone, and fat (Griffith 2017). The vascularity of the yellow marrow is decreased compared to the red marrow. At birth, the hematopoietic marrow is visualized throughout the entire skeleton. In children, teenagers, and young adults, there is a conversion from red to yellow marrow, starting in the diaphysis up to the distal metaphysis (Małkiewicz and Dziedzic 2012). Then, marrow fat content increases with older age in adults, gradually throughout life in men and sharply after the menopause in women (Griffith et al. 2012). These normal modifications can be disturbed by multiple pathological processes predominant in the later part of life, including hematological disorders, osteoporosis, treatments, Paget’s disease, and focal bone lesions.