Estimation of geometric properties of cortical bone in spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate structural and geometrical properties of the tibia shaft in subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) and subjects without SCI and to estimate the potential usefulness of a multimodal approach to diagnosing osteoporosis in SCI.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study of randomly selected SCI and non-SCI subjects.


METHODS
Measurements of bone geometric indices by computed tomography, and calculated bending stiffness with a biomechanical testing method.


METHODS
An SCI center hospital.


METHODS
Ten men without known orthopedic or neurologic impairments (controls), 10 men with SCI who had a history of lower extremity pathologic fracture since SCI, and 10 men with SCI who had never had lower extremity pathologic fracture.


RESULTS
Analysis of geometric and structural indices of subjects' tibias found a significant difference in all geometric indices between controls and the SCI subjects with pathologic fracture history. Between the controls and the SCI subjects with no fracture history, however, differences were found only in cross-sectional area and calculated bending stiffness.


CONCLUSIONS
Structural analysis of leg bone, combined with measurement of bone density, may improve the ability to assess fracture risk in patients with SCI.
de Bruin
E D
ED
Department of Material Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich.
Herzog
R
R
Rozendal
R H
RH
Michel
D
D
Stüssi
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015519:Bone Density; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D013977:Tibia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed