Texture analysis of direct magnification radiographs of vertebral specimens: correlation with bone mineral density and biomechanical properties.
OBJECTIVE
The authors used direct magnification radiographs, combines with texture analysis, to investigate the trabecular structure of human vertebral specimens and compared these techniques with measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) by using quantitative computed tomography to predict bone strength.


METHODS
Direct magnification radiographs and BMD measurements were obtained from 38 motion segments from the thoracolumbar spines of 11 female human cadavers. Maximum compressive strength (MCS) was determined with a materials testing machine. Morphologic parameters, digital skeletons, and fractal dimension were obtained from the radiographs in three different regions of interest.


RESULTS
Correlations between BMD and MCS were statistically significant (r = .81, P < .01). With morphologic parameters, correlation coefficients of up to .64 (P < .01) were obtained. Use of multivariate regression analysis with one morphologic parameter (the width of the black pixels, or thicknessB) in addition to BMD improved correlations versus MCS (P < .01).


CONCLUSIONS
In an experimental setting, BMD showed statistically significant correlation with bone strength, whereas the structural parameters demonstrated only modest correlations. BMD together with one of these measures (thicknessB), however, showed the highest correlation.
Link
T M
TM
Department of Clinical Radiology, University Hospital, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Munster, Germany.
Majumdar
S
S
Konermann
W
W
Meier
N
N
Lin
J C
JC
Newitt
D
D
Ouyang
X
X
Peters
P E
PE
Genant
H K
HK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015519:Bone Density; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011858:Radiographic Magnification; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed