2D vs. 3D Evaluation of Osteocyte Lacunae - Methodological Approaches, Recommended Parameters, and Challenges: A Narrative Review by the European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS).

We quantified the errors in reported estimation methods of lacunar volume based on 2D cross-sections, which increase with variations in lacunar orientation and histological cutting plane. The estimations of lacunar volume based on common practice in 2D imaging methods resulted in an underestimation of lacunar volume of up to 85% compared to actual lacunar volume in an artificial dataset. For a representative estimation of lacunar size and morphology based on 2D images, at least 400 lacunae should be assessed per sample.