Abstract
Areal bone mineral density (aBMD), assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), at the lumbar spine, total hip, or femoral neck is the single most important criterion for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, i.e., bone fragility, in postmenopausal women and in men aged 50 years old. However, technological and scientific advances during the last two decades have led to the realization that bone fragility and the associated risk of fracture are not solely determined by the aBMD. In response, the International Society for Clinical Densitometry has recently published a position paper on the relevance of the use of geometric bone measurements to estimate the risk of fracture using DXA and quantitative computed tomography (QCT).
The geometry of the skeleton is determined by the bone shape and size and can be quantified using measures that include (a) cross-sectional measures – areas, moments of inertia, radii, circumferences, and cortical thickness – and (b) other specific measures of proximal femur including hip axis length (HAL), neck-shaft angle (NSA), and femoral neck width (FNW). In general larger cross-sectional measures are associated with a smaller risk of bone fracture, while the larger specific measures of the proximal femur are associated with a greater risk of bone fracture. The current evidence concerning the geometry of the skeleton and risk of fracture is not equally conclusive for all measures. At this time, only HAL, derived from DXA, is recommended for evaluation of hip fracture risk in postmenopausal women. Cross-sectional measures or other specific measures of hip geometry parameters should not be used to assess fracture risk.
The risk of bone fracture is conditioned by the biomechanical characteristics of the bone structure in relation to forces resulting from axial mechanical loads, bending, and torsion. Bone fracture can be described as a structural failure due to a force higher than bone’s mechanical resistance. However loads applied during everyday movements, i.e., physical activity within physiological limits, are key determinant for the optimization of bone geometry even without improvements in aBMD. This is particularly the case during the years of growth. Other determinants of bone geometry include interethnic differences, age, and gender. Because these latter determinants are nonmodifiable, they have little potential for intervention at the level of skeletal phenotype.
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Abbreviations
- aBMD:
-
Areal bone mineral density
- AHA:
-
Advanced hip assessment
- CSA:
-
Cross-sectional area
- CSMI:
-
Cross-sectional moment of inertia
- DXA:
-
Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry
- FEA:
-
Finite element analysis
- FNAL:
-
Femoral neck axis length
- FNL:
-
Femoral neck length
- FNW:
-
Femoral neck width
- HAL:
-
Hip axis length
- HSA:
-
Hip structural analysis
- ISCD:
-
International Society for Clinical Densitometry
- NSA:
-
Neck-shaft angle
- PMI:
-
Polar moment of inertia
- pQCT:
-
Peripheral quantitative computed tomography
- QCT:
-
Quantitative computed tomography
- vBMD:
-
Volumetric bone mineral density
- Z:
-
Section modulus
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Zymbal, V., Baptista, F., Fernandes, P., Janz, K.F. (2016). Determining Skeletal Geometry. In: Preedy, V. (eds) Biomarkers in Bone Disease. Biomarkers in Disease: Methods, Discoveries and Applications. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7745-3_47-1
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