Relationships of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar bone mineral density by quantitative CT.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this work was to compare, using quantitative CT (QCT), vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine in healthy volunteers.


METHODS
QCT of the vertebral bodies of C2, C5, T12, and L4 was performed on 50 healthy volunteers (25 women, 25 men; mean age 31.7 years). Trabecular BMD analysis was performed at each level.


RESULTS
Mean BMDs (mg/cm3 calcium hydroxyapatite) for women and men were highest at C5 (BMD women/men 341.6/300.6 mg/cm3) and C2 (297.2/269.6 mg/cm3) and lowest at T12 (193.1/184.9 mg/cm3) and L4 (186.2/180.1 mg/cm3). The BMD of C2 was statistically significantly different from that of C5, T12, and L4 (p < 0.0001) for both genders. Also, the BMD of C5 differed significantly from that of T12 and L4 (p < 0.0001). The BMD of C5 showed significant gender differences (p = 0.002). Correlation coefficient showed a strong correlation between the BMD of T12 and L4 for both genders (women, r = 0.67; men, r = 0.90).


CONCLUSIONS
Trabecular BMD of C2 and C5 measured by QCT is significantly higher than trabecular BMD of T12 and L4 in nonosteoporotic volunteers of both genders.
Weishaupt
D
D
Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
Schweitzer
M E
ME
DiCuccio
M N
MN
Whitley
P E
PE
D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed