Metabolic Bone Diseases Unit, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, 630 West 168th Street, PH8 West 864, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2013 Jun;11(2):147-55. doi: 10.1007/s11914-013-0142-7.
Osteoporosis, a disease characterized by loss of bone mass and structural deterioration, is currently diagnosed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). However, DXA does not provide information about bone microstructure, which is a key determinant of bone strength. Recent advances in imaging permit the assessment of bone microstructure in vivo using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT). From these data, novel image processing techniques can be applied to characterize bone quality and strength. To date, most HR-pQCT studies are cross-sectional comparing subjects with and without fracture. These studies have shown that HR-pQCT is capable of discriminating fracture status independent of DXA. Recent longitudinal studies present new challenges in terms of analyzing the same region of interest and multisite calibrations. Careful application of analysis techniques and educated clinical interpretation of HR-pQCT results have improved our understanding of various bone-related diseases and will no doubt continue to do so in the future.
骨质疏松症是一种以骨量丢失和结构恶化为特征的疾病，目前通过双能 X 射线吸收法（DXA）进行诊断。然而，DXA 并不能提供有关骨微观结构的信息，而骨微观结构是决定骨强度的关键因素。成像技术的最新进展使得可以使用高分辨率外周定量计算机断层扫描（HR-pQCT）在体内评估骨微观结构。从这些数据中，可以应用新型图像处理技术来描述骨质量和强度。迄今为止，大多数 HR-pQCT 研究都是比较有和无骨折的受试者的横断面研究。这些研究表明，HR-pQCT 能够独立于 DXA 区分骨折状态。最近的纵向研究在分析同一感兴趣区域和多部位校准方面提出了新的挑战。分析技术的谨慎应用和 HR-pQCT 结果的有教育意义的临床解释提高了我们对各种与骨骼相关疾病的理解，毫无疑问，未来还将继续如此。
