Histomorphometry of fresh frozen iliac crest bone biopsies.

Although methods are well established for the rapid histological preparation of fresh frozen soft tissues, they remain inadequate for the preservation of hard tissues. A recent technique for sectioning fresh frozen bone, in which sections can be prepared within an hour, has been applied to undecalcified human iliac crest bone biopsies. Quantitative analysis has shown that the static remodeling variables deduced from frozen sections closely resemble those derived from plastic-embedded sections prepared for routine use by established laboratory procedures. It is concluded that the rapid method is reliable for immediate diagnostic and histomorphometric purposes.