Broadband ultrasound attenuation: a new diagnostic method in osteoporosis

Broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) measurements of the calcaneus, single-photon absorptiometry (SPA) of the nondominant distal forearm, and quantitative CT (QCT) of the lumbar spine were performed in 37 women with osteoporotic vertebral fractures and 23 female control subjects of similar age distribution to assess the usefulness of sonography in detecting axial osteopenia. In the women with osteoporotic vertebral fractures, all three measuring methods showed significantly reduced values (SPA: p less than .05; QCT: p less than .0001; BUA: p less than .05) compared with those in the control subjects. In addition, for all subjects, a significant positive correlation was found between BUA and QCT (tau = 0.25, p less than .005) and between SPA and QCT (tau = 0.34, p less than .0001). These results suggest that BUA, a simple method that is radiation-free, is a valuable tool in the management of osteoporosis.