Abstract
We investigated whether quantitative ultrasound (QUS) parameters are associated with bone structure. In an in vitro study on 20 cubes of trabecular bone, we measured broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) and two newly defined parameters—ultrasound velocity through bone (UVB) and ultrasound attenuation in bone (UAB). Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and bone structure was assessed by microcomputed tomography (μCT) with approximately 80 μm spatial resolution. We found all three QUS parameters to be significantly associated with bone structure independently of BMD. UVB was largely influenced by trabecular separation, UAB by connectivity, and BUA by a combination of both. For a one standard deviation (SD) increase in UVB, a decrease in trabecular separation of 1.2 SD was required compared with a 1.4 SD increase in BMD for the same effect. A 1.0 SD increase in UAB required a reduction in connectivity of 1.4 SD. Multivariate models of QUS versus BMD combined with bone structure parameters showed squared correlation coefficients of r2=0.70–0.85 for UVB, r2=0.27–0.56 for UAB, and r2=0.30–0.68 for BUA compared with r2=0.18–0.58 for UVB, r2<0.26 for UAB and r2<0.13 for BUA for models including BMD alone. QUS thus reflects bone structure, and a combined analysis of QUS and BMD will allow for a more comprehensive assessment of skeletal status than either method alone.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Genant HK, Faulkner KG, Glüer CC (1991) Measurement of bone mineral density: current status. Am J Med 91 (suppl 5B): 49–53
Cummings SR, Black DM, Nevitt MC, Browner W, Cauley J, Ensrud K, Genant HK, Hulley SB, Palermo L, Scott J, Vogt TM (1993) Bone density at various sites for prediction of hip fractures: the study of osteoporotic fractures. Lancet 341:72–75
Wasnich RD, Ross PD, Heilbrun LK, Vogel JM (1987) Selection of the optimal site for fracture risk prediction Clin Orthop 216: 262–268
Gärdsell P, Johnell O, Nilsson BE (1989) Predicting fractures in women by using forearm bone densitometry. Calcif Tissue Int 44:235–242
Hui SL, Slemenda CW, Johnston CC (1989) Baseline measurement of bone mass predicts fracture in white women. Ann Intern Med 111:355–361
Lotz JC, Gerhart TN, Hayes WC (1990) Mechanical properties of trabecular bone from the proximal femur: a quantitative CT study. J Comput Assist Tomogr 14:107–114
Mosekilde L, Bentzen SM, rtoft G, Jørgensen J (1989) The predictive value of quantitative computed tomography for vertebral body compressive strength and ash density. Bone 10:465–470
Lang SM, Moyle DD, Berg EW, Detorie N, Gilpin AT, Pappan Jr NJ, Reynolds JC, Tkacik M, Waldron RL (1988) Correlation of mechanical properties of vertebral trabecular bone with equivalent mineral density as measured by computed tomography. J Bone Joint Surg 70-A:1531–1538
Hayes WC, Piazza SJ, Zysset PK (1991) Biomechanics of fracture risk prediction of the hip and spine by quantitative computed tomography. Radiol Clin North Am 29:1–18
Goulet RW, Goldstein SA, Ciarelli MJ, Kuhn JL, Brown MB, Feldkamp LA (in press) Relationship between the structural and orthogonal compressive properties of trabecular bone. J Biomechanics
Ciarelli MJ, Goldstein SA, Kuhn JL, Cody DD, Brown MB (1991) Evaluation of orthogonal mechanical properties and density of human trabecular bone from the major metaphyseal regions with materials testing and computed tomography. J Orthop Res 9:674–682
Goldstein SA, Goulet R, McCubbrey D (1993) Measurement and significance of three-dimensional architecture in the mechanical integrity of trabecular bone. Calcif Tissue Int 53(S.1): S127–133
Riggs BL, Hodgson SF, O'Fallon WM, Chao EYS, Wahner HW, Muhs JM, Cedel SL, Melton LJ (1990) Effect of fluoride treatment on the fracture rate in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 322:802–809
Ross PD, Genant HK, Davis JW, P.D. M., Wasnich RD (1993) Predicting vertebral fracture incidence from prevalent fractures and bone density among non-black, osteoporotic women. Osteoporosis Int 3:120–126
Heaney RP, Avioli LV, Chestnut CH, Lappe J, Recker RR, Brandburger GH (1989) Osteoporotic bone fragility: detection by ultrasound transmission velocity. JAMA 261:2986–2990
Baran DT, Kelly AM, Karellas A, Gionet M, Price M, Leahy D, Steuterman S, McSherry B, Roche J (1988) Ultrasound attenuation of the os calcis in women with osteoporosis and hip fractures. Calcif Tissue Int 43:138–142
Langton CM, Palmer SB, Porter RW (1984) The measurement of broadband ultrasound attenuation in cancellous bone. Eng Med 13:89–91
Antich PP, Anderson JA, Ashman RB, Dowdey JE, Gonzales J, Murry RC, Zerwekh JE, Pak CY (1991) Measurement of mechanical properties of bone material in vitro by ultrasound reflection: methodology and comparison with ultrasound transmission. J Bone Miner Res 6:417–426
Zagzebski JA, Rossmann PJ, Mesina C, Mazess RB, Madsen EL (1991) Ultrasound transmission measurements through the os calcis. Calcif Tissue Int 49:107–111
Kaufman JJ, Einhorn TA (1993) Perspectives: ultrasound assessment of bone. Osteoporosis Int 8:517–525
Hans D, Schott AM, Meunier PJ (1993) Ultrasonic assessment of bone: a review. Eur J Med 2:157–163
Smith S, Gautam PC, Porter RW (1992) Bone stiffness in elderly women with hip fracture. Bone 13:281–282
Glüer CC, Vahlensieck M, Faulkner KG, Engelke K, Black D, Genant HK (1992) Site-matched calcaneal measurements of broadband ultrasound attenuation and single x-ray absorptiometry: do they measure different skeletal properties? J Bone Miner Res 7:1071–1079
Waud C, Lew R, DT. B (1992) The relationship between ultrasound and densitometric measurements of bone mass at the calcaneus in women. Calcif Tissue Int 51:415–418
Glüer CC, Wu CY, Genant HK (1993) Broadband ultrasound attenuation signals depend on trabecular orientation: an in-vitro study. Osteoporosis Int 3:185–191
Miller CG, Herd RJM, Ramalingam T, Fogelman I, Blake GM (1993) Ultrasonic velocity measurements through the calcaneus: which velocity should be measured? Osteoporosis Int 3:31–35
Evans JA, Tavakoli MB (1990) Ultrasonic attenuation and velocity in bone. Phys Med Biol 35:1387–1396
Kuhn JL, Goldstein SA, Feldkamp LA, Goulet RW, Jesion G (1990) Evaluation of a microcomputed tomography system to study trabecular bone structure. J Orthop Res 8:833–842
Parfitt AM, Matthews C, Villanueva A (1983) Relationships between surface, volume, and thickness of iliac trabecular bone in aging and in osteoporosis. J Clin Invest 72:1396–1409
Serra J (1982) Image analysis and mathematical morphology. Academic Press, London
Feldkamp LA, Goldstein SA, Parfitt AM, Jesion G, Kleerekoper M (1989) The direct examination of three-dimensional bone architecture in vitro by computed tomography. J Bone Miner Res 4:3–11
Harrigan TP, Mann RW (1984) Characterization of microstructural anisotropy in orthotropic materials using a second rank tensor. J Mater Sci 19:761–767
Abendschein W, Hyatt GW (1970) Ultrasonics and selected physical properties of bone. Clin Orthop Rel Res 69:294–301
Bonfield W, Tully AE (1982) Ultrasonic analysis of the Young's modulus of cortical bone. J Biomed Eng 4:23–27
Ashman RB, Cowin SC van Buskirk WC, Rice JC (1984) A continuous wave technique for the measurement of the elastic properties of cortical bone. J Biomechanics 17:349–361
Rothman K (1990) No adjustment needed for multiple comparisons. Epidemiology 1:43–46
Turner CH, Cowin SC (1988) Errors induced by off-axis measurement of the elastic properties of bone. J Biomech Eng 110: 213–215
Turner CH, Cowin SC, Rho JY, Ashman RB, Rice JC (1990) The fabric dependence of the orthotropic elastic constants of cancellous bone. J Biomechanics 23:549–561
Grimm MJ, Williams JL (1993) Use of ultrasound attenuation and velocity to estimate Young's modulus in trabecular bone. In: li JKL, Reisman SS (ed) Proc 19th IEEE Annula Northeast Bioengineering Conf, Newark, NJ, IEEE, pp 62–63
Bauer DC, Glüer CC, Stone KL, Genant HK, Cummings SR (1993) Quantitative ultrasound and vertebral deformity in post-menopausal women. J Bone Miner Res 8(suppl 1):S-353
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gluer, C.C., Wu, C.Y., Jergas, M. et al. Three quantitative ultrasound parameters reflect bone structure. Calcif Tissue Int 55, 46–52 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310168
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310168