Comparison of Calibrated and Uncalibrated Bone Mineral Density by CT to DEXA in Menopausal Women

Overview

Journal Climacteric

Publisher Informa Healthcare

Date 2011 Dec 20

PMID 22175297

Citations 12

Authors

Y Miyabara

D Holmes 3rd

J Camp

V M Miller

A E Kearns

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Coronary artery disease and osteoporosis increase in women after menopause. Computed tomography (CT) scans of the heart used to evaluate coronary arterial calcification include images of the thoracic vertebrae. The utility of using these images to assess bone health in women remains to be defined. Analyses of thoracic spine volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) from CT scans of the heart were performed to determine how specific calibration affects the ability to assess vBMD in recently menopausal women and to evaluate how vBMD relates to areal bone mineral density (aBMD) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).

Methods: Women (n = 111) enrolled in the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS) at Mayo Clinic underwent a CT scan of the heart that included calibration phantoms and a DEXA of the lumbar spine. The Spine Cancer Assessment program was used to determine vBMD of thoracic vertebrae with and without the calibration correction.

Results: Trabecular bone vBMD at T8 averaged 163.57±28.58 and 157.94±27.55 mg/cc (mean±standard deviation, SD) for calibrated and uncalibrated values, respectively. The relationship between calibrated and uncalibrated measures approached unity (R = 0.98). Lumbar spine (L2-4) aBMD was 1.19±0.16 g/cm(2) (mean±SD). Both calibrated and uncalibrated thoracic vBMD correlated positively and significantly with lumbar aBMD, but the relationship was less than unity (R = 0.63).

Conclusion: Uncalibrated measures of thoracic spine vBMD obtained from CT scans of the heart may provide clinically relevant information about bone health and osteoporosis/osteopenia risk in recently menopausal women.

Citing Articles

Comparison of volumetric and areal bone mineral density in CT and scout scans using spectral detector technology.

Hammel J, Birnbacher L, Campbell G, Coulon P, Ushakov L, Pfeiffer F Eur Radiol Exp. 2023; 7(1):37.

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Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) Scan Versus Computed Tomography for Bone Density Assessment.

Alawi M, Begum A, Harraz M, Alawi H, Bamagos S, Yaghmour A Cureus. 2021; 13(2):e13261.

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Quantitative Vertebral Bone Density Seen on Chest CT in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: Association with Mortality in the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease Cohort.

Hwang H, Lee S, Seo J, Kim J, Choi H, Kim N Korean J Radiol. 2020; 21(7):880-890.

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Bone Mineral Density T-Scores Derived from CT Attenuation Numbers (Hounsfield Units): Clinical Utility and Correlation with Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry.

Hendrickson N, Pickhardt P, Rio A, Rosas H, Anderson P Iowa Orthop J. 2018; 38:25-31.

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