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Subregional DXA-Derived Vertebral Bone Mineral Measures are Stronger Predictors of Failure Load in Specimens with Lower Areal Bone Mineral Density, Compared to Those with Higher Areal Bone Mineral Density

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Abstract

Measurement of areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in intravertebral subregions may increase the diagnostic sensitivity of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-derived parameters for vertebral fragility. This study investigated whether DXA-derived bone parameters in vertebral subregions were better predictors of vertebral bone strength in specimens with low aBMD, compared to those with higher aBMD. Twenty-five lumbar vertebrae (15 embalmed and 10 fresh-frozen) were scanned with posteroanterior- (PA) and lateral-projection DXA, and then mechanically tested in compression to ultimate failure. Whole-vertebral aBMD and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured from the PA- and lateral-projection scans and within 6 intravertebral subregions. Multivariate regression was used to predict ultimate failure load by BMC, adjusted for vertebral size and specimen fixation status across the whole specimen set, and when subgrouped into specimens with low aBMD and high aBMD. Adjusted BMC explained a substantial proportion of variance in ultimate vertebral load, when measured over the whole vertebral area in lateral projection (adjusted R 2 0.84) and across the six subregions (ROIs 2–7) (adjusted R 2 range 0.58–0.78). The association between adjusted BMC, either measured subregionally or across the whole vertebral area, and vertebral failure load, was increased for the subgroup of specimens with identified ‘low aBMD’, compared to those with ‘high aBMD’, particularly in the anterior subregion where the adjusted R 2 differed by 0.44. The relative contribution of BMC measured in vertebral subregions to ultimate failure load is greater among specimens with lower aBMD, compared to those with higher aBMD, particularly in the anterior subregion of the vertebral body.

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Acknowledgments

The authors respectfully acknowledge the late Susan Kantor, Senior Bone Densitometrist, who contributed substantially to data collection and analysis, and Professor Nicola (Nick) Fazzalari who contributed to earlier studies leading to this work. Dr Andrew Briggs was supported, in part, by a fellowship awarded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Funding for this study was provided by the NHMRC, Scoliosis Research Society (USA), and Arthritis Australia. In-kind support was provided by the Bone Densitometry Unit (University of Melbourne Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital), SA Pathology and the Ray Last Anatomy Laboratory, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

The cadavers used in this study were donated, through informed consent, by the next-of-kin of the deceased for use in medical research under the terms and conditions contained within the Anatomy Act of South Australia. The specific terms that apply to this study are that the research be approved by the institutional research committees. Approval to use the specimens for research purposes was granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia, and Curtin University, Western Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia

    Andrew M. Briggs

  2. Department of Medicine, and Bone and Mineral Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3050, Australia

    Andrew M. Briggs & John D. Wark

  3. Arthritis and Osteoporosis Victoria, Elsternwick, VIC, Australia

    Andrew M. Briggs

  4. The Medical Device Research Institute, School of Computer Science Engineering and Mathematics, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia

    Egon Perilli & Karen J. Reynolds

  5. School of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    John Codrington

  6. Anatomical Pathology, SA Pathology, and Discipline of Anatomy and Pathology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Ian H. Parkinson

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  1. Andrew M. Briggs
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Correspondence to Andrew M. Briggs.

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Briggs, A.M., Perilli, E., Codrington, J. et al. Subregional DXA-Derived Vertebral Bone Mineral Measures are Stronger Predictors of Failure Load in Specimens with Lower Areal Bone Mineral Density, Compared to Those with Higher Areal Bone Mineral Density. Calcif Tissue Int 95, 97–107 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-014-9866-3

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