Abstract Bisphosphonates have been widely used in the
treatment of an array of bone disorders. Recent complications
have included unusual femoral fractures in patients who have
received long term bisphosphonate treatment for osteoporosis.
Although it has been shown that bisphosphonates are effective
by blunting osteoclast resorption, there has been little
morphologic description of the local tissue activity at the site
of these unusual fractures. To evaluate for local changes to
bone morphology at the fracture site in patients presenting with a
bisphosphonate-related femur fracture, a sample of cortical bone
was obtained at the site of a bisphosphonate fracture and was
processed in a nondecalcified manner