Associations between radius low-frequency axial ultrasound velocity and bone fragility in elderly men and women

• Published in: Osteoporosis international Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 411 - 421
• Main Authors: Biver, E., Pepe, J., de Sire, A., Chevalley, T., Ferrari, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01.02.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Absorptiometry, Photon - methods; Aged; Axial skeleton; Bone Density - physiology; Bone mineral density; Cohort Studies; Computed tomography; Cortical bone; Disease transmission; Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Endocrinology; Female; Femur; Fractures; Geriatrics; Humans; Male; Mass Screening - methods; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Older people; Original Article; Orthopedics; Osteoporosis; Osteoporosis - diagnostic imaging; Osteoporosis - pathology; Osteoporosis - physiopathology; Osteoporotic Fractures - diagnostic imaging; Osteoporotic Fractures - pathology; Osteoporotic Fractures - physiopathology; Post-menopause; Predictive Value of Tests; Radius; Radius - diagnostic imaging; Radius - pathology; Radius - physiopathology; Reproducibility of Results; Rheumatology; Risk Assessment - methods; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Trauma; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonography - methods; Ultrasound; Velocity; Women; Ultrasonic low-frequency velocity; Osteoporosis; Bone microstructure; Bone mineral density; Fracture
• ISSN: 0937-941X; 1433-2965
• DOI: 10.1007/s00198-018-4725-0

Summary An exploratory study in elderly women and men from the Geneva Retirees Cohort indicates that low-frequency quantitative ultrasound measurement at the radius captures aBMD, bone size, and cortical tissue mineral density and might be used for screening purposes prior to DXA to evaluate fracture risk . Introduction The contribution of distal radius bone mineral density (BMD) and cortical microstructure to fracture risk has recently been demonstrated. In this exploratory study, we investigated whether low-frequency quantitative ultrasound measurement at the distal radius may capture the peripheral determinants of bone fragility assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT). Methods Low-frequency velocity ( V LF ) was measured at the radius using OsCare Sono®, a portable axial transmission ultrasonometer, in 271 community-dwelling postmenopausal women and men (age 71.5 ± 1.4 years) from the Geneva Retirees Cohort. Cortical (Ct) and trabecular (Tb) volumetric ( v ) BMD and microstructure at the distal radius were assessed by HR-pQCT, in addition to areal ( a ) BMD by DXA, at the same time point. Results V LF was highly correlated with aBMD at the distal third radius ( r  = 0.72, p  < 0.001). For microstructure parameters, the highest correlation was observed with cortical area ( r  = 0.59, p  < 0.001). V LF also captured bone geometry (total area) and cortical tissue mineral density independently of aBMD. In models adjusted for age and sex, V LF was significantly associated with prevalent low-trauma fractures [OR 95%CI for one SD decrease of V LF 1.50 (1.05, 2.14), p  = 0.024], with discrimination performance comparable to femoral neck or distal radius aBMD. Conclusion Measurement of V LF at the radius captures aBMD, bone size, and cortical tissue mineral density and might be used for screening purposes prior to DXA to evaluate fracture risk .