title: Elastic properties of osteoporotic bone measured by scanning acoustic microscopy.
abstract: A combination of low bone mass and decreased bone quality underlies osteoporotic fracture. We used scanning acoustic microscopy, a nondestructive method for assessing bone elasticity at a resolution of about 60 microns, to estimate the quality of biopsied iliac bones. We compared the acoustic velocities and bone volumes among premenopausal normal (n = 10), osteoporotic (n = 20), and postmenopausal normal (n = 10) subjects, the latter age-matched to the osteoporotic subjects. The acoustic measurements were highly reproducible (coefficient of variation = 0.32%). Bone volume of osteoporotic subjects (BV/TV = 13.3%) was lower than that of premenopausal and age-matched normals (BV/TV = 22.8%, p = 0.0007; BV/TV = 24.8%, p = 0.0004, respectively). Acoustic velocity of osteoporotic bone was 6.2% lower than that of age-matched normal bone (p < 0.02), but 3.4% higher than that of bone from premenopausal normal women. The lower acoustic velocity of osteoporotic bone than that of age-matched normal subjects implies that osteoporosis involves altered tissue elasticity. However, the lowest acoustic velocities were measured in premenopausal normal subjects. This unexpected result may indicate a complex relationship between tissue level properties and fragility in bone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Biomechanics, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis 46202, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Recker
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Burr
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014465:Ultrasonics