Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026
Cortical Bone Assessment Using Ultrasonic Guided Waves: A Reproducibility Study in a Healthy Population
Published on: January 31, 2025
Use of routine thoracic and abdominal computed tomography scans for assessing bone mineral density and detecting
Milka Marinova1, Bob Edon1,2, Karsten Wolter1
1a a Department of Radiology , Hospital & Medical School, University of Bonn , Bonn , Germany.
Objective:
Evaluation of computed tomography (CT) attenuation measurements for assessing bone mineral density (BMD) and predicting osteoporosis in thoracic and abdominal CT scans for various clinical indications using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as reference standard.
Research Design And Methods:
A total of 234 patients (147 women, 87 men) undergoing DXA and CT were examined retrospectively. Mean time between both studies was 0.5 years. CT-attenuation values in Hounsfield units (HU) were measured at the thoracic and lumbar spine (T1, T6, T12, L1-L5), at the femoral neck, and then assigned to their corresponding DXA scores.
Results:
Patients with DXA-defined osteoporosis or osteopenia showed significantly lower HU values of trabecular bone at all measured levels compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.001). HU values were highest at T1 and T6, lowest at L1-L3 and the femoral neck. There were no significant intraindividual differences between HU values in the sagittal, coronal or transversal plane. Significant differences between normal and abnormal BMD categories were verified for three CT scanners. More than half of all fractures were detected in patients with non-osteoporotic DXA T-scores.
Conclusions:
Abdominal and particularly thoracic CT scans obtained for other clinical indications can sensibly be applied toward determining low BMD, detecting osteoporosis and identifying persons at increased fracture risk. Osteoporotic morbidity and mortality might be minimized. Superiorly to DXA, fragility fractures can be found without additional imaging or radiation exposure which can initiate early adequate treatment.
Limitations:
Key limitations of the study were as following: a retrospective, single-center study; small patient cohort - larger cohorts are needed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic performance measurements; more complex CT evaluation of the hip for BMD assessment; DXA measurements were used as a reference standard, however, patients with unsuspected compression fractures but showing osteopenic or even normal BMD outline the limitations of DXA.
More Related Videos
07:12Semiautomated Longitudinal Microcomputed Tomography-based Quantitative Structural Analysis of a Nude Rat Osteoporosis-related Vertebral Fracture Model
Published on: September 28, 2017
07:56Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Related Concept Videos
01:30Radiological Investigation I: X-ray and CT
01:10Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
01:27Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography
01:14Imaging Studies I: CT and MRI
Description of the Procedures
Computed Tomography (CT) scan:
Computed Tomography (CT) scans use X-ray technology to generate detailed images of bones, organs, and tissues. During the scan, the patient lies on a moving table...
01:28Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT