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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
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Cortical Bone Assessment Using Ultrasonic Guided Waves: A Reproducibility Study in a Healthy Population
Published on: January 31, 2025
Noninvasive assessments of bone strength
1Clinical Research Center of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76210, USA. sbonnickcrcnt@verizon.net
Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity
|November 6, 2007
Summary
New noninvasive technologies can quantify bone strength beyond bone mineral density. While hip structural analysis is clinically available, newer methods are still under development for broader fracture risk prediction.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Radiology
Background:
- Bone mineral density (BMD) is a traditional measure of bone strength.
- BMD may not capture all aspects of bone strength, such as microarchitecture and biomechanical properties.
- Advanced imaging and modeling techniques offer new ways to assess bone strength.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review novel noninvasive technologies for quantifying bone strength.
- To describe methods assessing individual components and overall bone strength.
- To evaluate the clinical applicability and fracture prediction capabilities of these technologies.
Main Methods:
- Review of emerging noninvasive technologies for bone strength assessment.
- Discussion of techniques including hip structural analysis, finite element modeling, and microarchitecture analysis.
- Comparison of new methods with traditional bone mineral density measurements.
Main Results:
- New technologies can quantify biomechanical parameters, geometry, and microarchitecture.
- Finite element modeling predicts whole bone strength but is not yet clinically widespread.
- Hip structural analysis is integrated with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and is clinically accessible.
Conclusions:
- Current advanced technologies do not surpass BMD in predicting fracture risk.
- These methods enhance understanding of fracture pathophysiology and treatment efficacy.
- Hip structural analysis is a clinically relevant tool for bone strength assessment.
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