Related Experiment Video For Bone mineral density
Updated: Jan 12, 2026
Proximal Cadaveric Femur Preparation for Fracture Strength Testing and Quantitative CT-based Finite Element Analysis
Published on: March 11, 2017
Prevalence of low bone mineral density in robotic-assisted TKA candidates: insights from quantitative CT analysis
Riccardo Garibaldi1, Sébastien Lustig2, Martinique Vella-Baldacchino3
1Orthopaedics Surgery and Sports Medicine Department, FIFA Medical Center of Excellence, Croix-Rousse Hospital, Lyon University Hospital, 103 Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse, 69004 Lyon, France - Univ Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, IFSTTAR, LBMC UMR_T9406, 69622 Lyon, France - Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Cantonal Hospital Fribourg, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Pensionnats 2-6, 1708 Fribourg, Switzerland.
Introduction:
Osteoporosis is a prevalent and often underdiagnosed condition that significantly increases the risk of fragility fractures. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the standard diagnostic tool; however, many patients remain unscreened. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans obtained for robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) planning present an opportunity for opportunistic osteoporosis screening without additional radiation exposure.
Methods:
A retrospective observational study was conducted on 637 patients (307 males, 330 females) who underwent robotic-assisted TKA between January 2023 and December 2024. Preoperative CT scans were analyzed using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) software to determine T-scores, Z-scores, and percentage of bone mineral density (BMD) relative to a young-adult reference. Patients were categorized as normal (T-score ≥ -1.0), osteopenic (-2.5 < T-score < -1.0), or osteoporotic (T-score ≤ -2.5).
Results:
Among 597 patients with available T-score data, 41.0% were classified as normal, 32.3% as osteopenic, and 26.6% as osteoporotic. Notably, 37.0% of female patients were osteoporotic compared to 15.3% of male patients. Bone density parameters declined progressively with age, with females over 80 years exhibiting a mean T-score of -2.53 and BMD at 68.25% of the young-adult reference.
Discussion:
Opportunistic screening using preoperative CT scans in robotic-assisted TKA patients reveals a high prevalence of undiagnosed low BMD, particularly among elderly women. Integrating QCT analysis into the preoperative workflow may facilitate early identification of at-risk individuals, informing surgical planning and enabling timely interventions to improve bone health.
