Bone mineral measurement in the human spine using computed tomography.

A new method to measure bone mineral mass and density in human vertebrae was developed and clinically implemented. Using single-energy CT in the lumbar spine, it is possible to measure trabecular and cortical bone mineral mass regardless of the amount of soft tissue "background" present. Although the method is sensitive to the fat that resides in the marrow space of the vertebral body, an estimate of fat content can be incorporated into the calculations. We present and demonstrate the conceptual model upon which the method rests, and show that the results derived from its clinical use are highly correlated with those obtained from the conventional method of determining bone mineral concentration.