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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Longitudinal Evaluation of Mouse Hind Limb Bone Loss After Spinal Cord Injury using Novel, in vivo, Methodology
Published on: December 7, 2011
Regional changes in bone mineral density following spinal cord injury in children
Anthony J W Liu1, Julie N Briody, Craig F Munns
1Department of Paediatrics, Nepean Hospital, Nepean Clinical School, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Objective:
To document the serial changes in bone mineral density (BMD) following paediatric spinal cord injury (SCI).
Design:
Retrospective case series.
Setting:
Paediatric tertiary care hospital.
Patients:
Eighteen children (nine males) followed in an outpatient spinal cord injury service.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measure:
Serial bone mineral density (BMD) measurements using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
Results:
Mean follow-up was 5.0 +/- 3.6 years (range 0.4-12.4 years). Three children sustained minimal trauma fractures, all femoral. For the cohort, BMD Z-scores were significantly less than zero in the legs (-2.7 +/- 2.0, p < 0.001), femoral neck (-2.1 +/- 1.4, p < 0.001), total body (-0.8 +/- 1.3, p=0.02) and lumbar spine (-0.8 +/- 1.6, p=0.04), but not in the arms (-0.2 +/- 1.0, p=0.5). Lean tissue mass (LTM) Z-scores were reduced in the legs (-1.9 +/- 1.3, p < 0.001). Longitudinal data showed an initial decline in lower extremity BMD, BMC and LTM aged-matched Z-scores in the 12 months following SCI, followed by an age appropriate increase thereafter.
Conclusions:
Lower extremity osteopenia and sarcopenia develop rapidly in the first 12 months following the SCI. The reduced bone strength increases the risk of low trauma fracture.
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