Trabecular bone score in the hip: a new method to examine hip bone microarchitecture-a feasibility study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Orthopedics
• Radiology

Background:

• Many individuals at high risk for fragility fractures have suboptimal bone mineral density (BMD).
• Deteriorated bone microarchitecture can exist despite normal or mildly abnormal BMD, complicating fracture risk assessment.
• The trabecular bone score (TBS) Hip, a novel index, indirectly measures bone microarchitecture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the beta version of the TBS Hip algorithm.
• To determine if TBS Hip provides information complementary to BMD and bone turnover markers (BTMs).
• To enhance the identification of individuals at high risk for fractures.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of baseline TBS Hip (total hip, femoral neck, greater trochanter) and lumbar spine TBS.
• Inclusion of BMD at all skeletal sites and BTMs.
• Study population: 132 postmenopausal women in long-term care (LTC) facilities from an osteoporosis clinical trial.

Main Results:

• Moderate correlations were observed between BMD and TBS Hip at the total hip (r=0.50), femoral neck (r=0.32), and greater trochanter (r=0.39).
• A moderate correlation was found between BMD and lumbar spine TBS (r=0.52).
• No significant correlation was found between BTMs and TBS (lumbar spine or hip).

Conclusions:

• TBS Hip demonstrates a moderate correlation with BMD in older women residing in LTC facilities.
• TBS Hip may offer valuable information that complements BMD assessments.
• These findings suggest TBS Hip can aid in improving fracture risk prediction and treatment decisions.