Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2026
Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Comparison of high-resolution peripheral quantitative computerized tomography with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
E Colt1, M Akram1, F X Pi Sunyer1
1Obesity Research Center, Columbia University and St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Background/Objectives:
The objective of this study was to compare the measurement of areal bone mineral density (aBMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with the measurement of volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) by high-resolution peripheral computerized tomography (HR-pQCT) in subjects with a wide range of body mass indices (BMI).
Subjects/Methods:
We scanned the arms and legs of 49 premenopausal women, aged 21-45 years, with BMI from 18.5 to 46.5, by HR-pQCT and found that there was a nonsignificant change in vBMD associated with increased BMI, whereas aBMD (DXA) was associated with a positive significant increase. HR-pQCT scans a slice at the extremity of the tibia and radius, whereas DXA scans the entire leg and arm.
Results:
The correlation coefficients (r) of BMD (DXA) of the legs with BMI were 0.552, P<0.001, with %fat it was 0.378, P<0.01 and with W it was 0.633, P<0.001. The r of BMD (DXA) of the arms with BMI was 0.804, P<0.001, with %fat it was 0.599, P<0.001 and with W it was 0.831, P<0.001, whereas the r of the average bone density (D100) of legs and arms measured by HR-pQCT with BMI, W and %fat were not significant.
Conclusions:
Although HR-pQCT and DXA scan different parts of the bone, the high r of BMD with BMI and low r of bone density measured by HR-pQCT with BMI suggest that BMD measured by DXA is artifactually increased in the presence of obesity.
