Opportunistic assessment of bone density in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using MRI-based vertebral bone quality.

Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) have increased prevalence of lower bone mineral density (BMD) compared to healthy adolescents. Our goal was to compare bone density in patients with AIS and a nonaffected control group using an MRI-based vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score. We reviewed 50 consecutive lumbar MRIs of patients with AIS and of 50 nonaffected controls that were matched for age and sex. The VBQ score was calculated and compared between the groups. The VBQ score for the AIS group was 2.5 (SD 0.4) and for the control group 2.1 (SD 0.3) (p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed for control of confounding from body weight, body height, corrected BMI, and Cobb angle. Besides the diagnosis of AIS, there was no variable that was independently associated with the VBQ score. This is the first study to evaluate bone density in pediatric patients with AIS. We found a significant difference in the VBQ-score between patients with AIS and nonaffected controls matched for sex, age, and race. MRI can be used to assess the bone quality in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.