Bone resorption in otospongiosis.

"Considerable interest has been raised in recent years concerning the basic mechanisms involved in bone destruction and rebuilding in the otospongiotic focus. Under general bone resorption the osteoclasts play a decisive role, but in otospongiotic tissue electron-microscopic and cytochemical studies have shown that osteoclasts alone are not responsible for the bone resorption. Mononuclear histiocytes found in the marrow spaces and in the surrounding bone of an otospongiotic focus together with osteocytes take active part in the resorption. Cytochemical studies of acid phosphatase activity have shown that hydrolases in the lysosomes are expelled into the surrounding tissue, resulting in its resorption.