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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture Evaluation in an Osteoporosis Mouse Model
Published on: September 8, 2023
Acoustic properties of trabecular bone--relationships to tissue composition
O Riekkinen1, M A Hakulinen, M J Lammi
1Department of Physics, University of Kuopio, and Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. Ossi.Riekkinen@uku.fi
Abstract:
In osteoporosis, changes in tissue composition and structure reduce bone strength and expose it to fractures. The current primary diagnostic technique, i.e., dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, measures areal bone mineral density (BMD) but provides no direct information on trabecular structure or organic composition. Although still poorly characterized, ultrasound techniques may bring about information on bone composition and structure. In this study, relationships of 2.25-MHz ultrasound speed, attenuation, reflection and backscattering with composition of human trabecular bone (n=26) were characterized experimentally, as well as by using numerical analyses. We also determined composition of the trabecular sample (fat and water content, bone volume fraction) and that of the calcified matrix (mineral, proteoglycan and collagen content of trabeculae). In experimental analyses, bone volume fraction and mineral content of the calcified matrix were the only determinants of BMD. Further, bone volume fraction served as the strongest determinant of ultrasound parameters (r=0.51-0.87). In numerical simulations, density and mechanical properties of the calcified matrix systematically affected ultrasound speed, attenuation, reflection and backscattering. However, partial correlation coefficients revealed only low associations(|r|
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