title: Measurements of postmenopausal bone loss with a new contact ultrasound system.
abstract: Measurements of broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA) and velocity of ultrasound through the heel (heel velocity, HV) were performed with a Contact Ultrasonic Bone Analyzer (CUBA-Research model) in 229 women. The subjects consisted of 16 healthy young volunteers (Group 1, mean age 26 years), 170 healthy pre- and postmenopausal women (Group 2, mean age 53 years), and 43 osteoporotic women with radiographically defined vertebral crush fracture (Group 3, mean age 66 years). Subjects in Group 1 had 10 repeated measurements in a study of short-term precision. Women in Groups 2 and 3 also had dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans to measure lumbar spine and femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD). The BUA and HV measurements for all 229 women showed a significant correlation (r = 0.75, P < 0.001). The precision study on the subjects in Group 1 gave a root mean square coefficient of variation of 6.3% for BUA and 1.04% for HV. Linear regression analysis gave the following relationship between BUA and age for the 170 normal women in Group 2: BUA = 83.6-0.86 (age 40) dB/MHz (r = -0.31, P < 0.001, SEE = 16.3 dB/MHz). The relationship between HV and age was as follows: HV = 1614-2:3 (age 40) m/s (r = -0.33, P < 0.001, SEE = 42 m/s). Multivariate regression analysis showed that in addition to age, years since the menopause was also a significant factor in determining both BUA and HV.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Herd
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ramalingam
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fogelman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015519:Bone Density; D002111:Calcaneus; D003720:Densitometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*