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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Cortical Bone Assessment Using Ultrasonic Guided Waves: A Reproducibility Study in a Healthy Population
Published on: January 31, 2025
[Osteoporosis and anorexia nervosa: ultrasonometric and biochemical evaluation--preliminary data]
S Coaccioli1, C Sabatini, M Ponteggia
1Clinica Medica e Unità di Reumatologia, Università di Perugia, Azienda Ospedaliera Santa Maria di Terni, Italia. scoaccioli@tin.it
Aims:
To evaluate the relationship between Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Osteoporosis (OP) by bone heel ultrasonometric measurement and biochemical bone metabolic data.
Materials And Methods:
AN, 15 patients (2 males / 13 females; mean age 27.5 yr, range 16-44; mean BMI 15.78, range 13-19.3); normal subjects (NS), 10 (2 males / 8 females; mean age 27.5 yr, range 17-40; mean BMI 26.2, range 25-28). An Hologic Sahara ultrasound heel instrument has been utilized in order to obtain the following parameters: broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), speed of sound (SOS), Stiffness' index, bone mineral density (BMD) and T-score. As markers of bone formation osteocalcin (OC, ng/ml) and of resorption pyridinolines (Pyr, pmol/umol creatinine e deoxy-Pyr) have been studied by standardized analytical methods.
Results:
(expressed as x+/-SD).
Patients:
BUA, 65+/-11.22 (p<0.01); SOS, 1544.14+/-73.5 (ns); Stiffness, 89.8+/-19.4 (p<0.01): BMD, 0.55+/-0.53 (p<0.01); T-score, -1.4+/-1.12 (p<0.01); OC, 4.05+/-2.3 (p<0.01); Pyr, 53+/-21 (ns); d-Pyr, 7.17+/-4.5 (ns). NS: BUA, 88.57+/-8.63; SOS, 1567.72+/-11.88; Stiffness, 108.07+/-4.97; BMD, 0.611+/-0.027; T-score, 0.22+/-0.3; OC, 8.5+/-4.5; Pyr, 60+/-25; d-Pyr, 8.5+/-3.5.
Conclusions:
Our data seem to confirm that AN represents an important risk factor for OP. The ultrasonometric data in AN patients document some statistically significant differences from SN in term of BMD and T-score reduction. The metabolic data show that OC is reduced in AN patients, on the contrary, no differences appear in term of resorption bone markers.
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