Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
Cortical Bone Assessment Using Ultrasonic Guided Waves: A Reproducibility Study in a Healthy Population
Published on: January 31, 2025
Quantitative ultrasound assessment of bone health in the neonate
1Bone and Endocrine Research Group, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, UK.
Insights
Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) offers a promising, non-invasive method for assessing bone health in preterm infants. This technique may help diagnose osteopenia of prematurity, addressing limitations of current screening tests.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal medicine
- Pediatric orthopedics
- Biomedical engineering
Background:
- Early life events impact adult bone health, increasing osteoporosis risk.
- Preterm infants face higher risks of low bone mass and fractures.
- Current diagnostic methods for osteopenia of prematurity lack sensitivity and specificity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the methodology of quantitative ultrasound (QUS).
- To evaluate QUS as a non-invasive tool for assessing bone health in neonates.
- To discuss preliminary findings and limitations of QUS in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on QUS methodology and application in neonates.
- Focus on QUS as a non-ionizing, portable, and cost-effective alternative.
- Comparison of QUS with traditional methods like biochemical indices and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
Main Results:
- QUS measurements may reflect bone mineral density, quality, and strength.
- Preliminary studies suggest QUS utility in monitoring bone health changes in preterm infants.
- Data interpretation requires careful consideration due to the technique's evolving application.
Conclusions:
- QUS presents a viable non-invasive option for assessing neonatal bone health.
- Further research is needed to establish QUS as a standard screening tool for osteopenia of prematurity.
- QUS overcomes limitations associated with radiation exposure and equipment size in fragile infants.
Abstract:
For a number of reasons there is a need to explore reliable non-invasive methods for assessing bone health in neonates and young infants. Epidemiological studies suggest that early events in life may predispose the adult to degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis. Preterm infants have an increased risk of low bone mass because of limited bone mass accretion in utero and a greater need for bone nutrients. Despite improvements in neonatal care fractures still occur. The diagnosis of osteopaenia of prematurity remains difficult as there is no screening test which is both sensitive and specific. Biochemical indices are non-diagnostic, and plain X-rays in the absence of fractures are poor at diagnosing bone disease. Although dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is increasingly used to assess bone mineral status in newborn infants, the size and immobility of the scanner, the length of time to perform the scan and use of ionising radiation make it unsuitable for routine use in the setting of the fragile very low birth weight infant. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) was first developed in 1984, as a non-ionising, portable and low cost method of assessing bone health. The measurements obtained from QUS are thought to be related not only to the mineral density of the bone but also to reflect parameters of bone quality and strength. Preliminary studies suggest that this technique may be a useful method of assessing changes in bone health in preterm infants, but the data need to be interpreted carefully. This review will concentrate on the methodology of QUS and the studies that have already been performed in neonates.
