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Quantitative Computed Tomography and Computed Tomography in Children

  • Pediatrics and Skeletal Development (Craig Langman and Maria Luisa Bianchi, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) methodologies have been instrumental in deepening our understanding of bone acquisition and strength during childhood. Important publications in the last year have drawn attention to the functional muscle-bone unit, showing that factors such as population ancestry, bone size, and muscle composition are additional dimensions of bone strength that affect muscle-bone relationships. The role of adiposity in pediatric bone health is complex and may vary by sex, puberty stage, and degree of obesity. Several new studies have demonstrated the association of peripheral QCT (pQCT) outcomes with fracture, although pQCT outcomes are not superior to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measures in this regard. New high-resolution pQCT studies document transient weakness in mid-puberty that coincides developmentally with the period of peak fracture incidence. These new studies will ultimately help us understand the development of sex differences in bone strength that emerge in adolescence.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Disclosure

Conflicts of interest: B. Zemel: has received a consulting fee or honorarium from the International Society for Clinical Densitometry for a lecture in the ISCD Pediatric Bone Densitometry course on pQCT in children; and has received grant support from the National Institutes of Health for studies in which she was a co-author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3535 Market Street, Room 1560, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-4399, USA

    Babette S. Zemel

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Babette S. Zemel

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  1. Babette S. Zemel
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Correspondence to Babette S. Zemel.

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Zemel, B.S. Quantitative Computed Tomography and Computed Tomography in Children. Curr Osteoporos Rep 9, 284–290 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-011-0076-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-011-0076-x

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