High-resolution CT accurately assesses bone microarchitecture.(Gynecology)

BETHESDA, MD. -- High-resolution peripheral quantitative CT is a promising technology for identifying osteoporosis-related changes in bone microarchitecture, according to results of a prospective study.

Data from the noninvasive technique suggests that the imaging procedure will provide new insight into the degradation of bone mineral architecture that occurs in osteoporosis, Stephanie Boutroy, Ph.D., said at a meeting on bone quality.

Dr. Boutroy of France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research, Lyon, described her findings from an investigation of the scanning technique in 108 healthy premenopausal women (aged 19-45 years), 109 osteopenic, postmenopausal women (aged 52-88 years), and 33 osteoporotic, postmenopausal women (aged 61-84 years). The women were classified as osteopenic or osteoporotic based on bone mineral density (BMD) measures taken by dual x-ray absorptiometry of the femoral neck or spine.

Initially, eight healthy women underwent three separate scanning sessions within 1 month to determine the short-term reproducibility of the density and architecture parameters of the scanning protocol. In the three sessions, trabecular and cortical volumetric BMD measurements varied by only 0.5%-1.3% in each of those eight patients. Similarly, trabecular architecture values varied by 0.9%-3.1% for each patient ...