Discrimination of osteoporotic patients with quantitative ultrasound using imaging or non-imaging device.
OBJECTIVE
Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) has emerged as a new tool in the assessment of fracture risk. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical utility of QUS parameters measured using imaging and non-imaging devices in the discrimination of osteoporotic patients.


METHODS
QUS (Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation, BUA dB/MHz, and Speed of Sound, SOS m/s) were measured and then statistical analyses were performed.


RESULTS
The 106 women included were 65 +/- 8 years aged. Using DXA, T score was < or = -2.5 at either lumbar spine or hip in 59% of patients, and 25% had osteoporotic fractures. QUS results were different among devices, and these differences were highly dependent on the measured value. There was a similar effect of age and duration of menopause for all parameters. To obtain 90% of sensitivity for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, the thresholds were 50.80 and 71.70 dB/MHz for BUA and 1544.80 and 1551.50 m/s for SOS, using imaging and non-imaging devices, respectively. Belonging to the highest tertile of QUS had a negative predictive value for osteoporosis ranging from 59% to 65%. In the lowest tertile of QUS, the proportion of osteoporotic women was between 73% and 80%. All QUS parameters, except BUA measured with the non-imaging device, were able to discriminate post-menopausal women with fractures after adjustment for age and hip BMD.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that an imaging system improves the utility of BUA measurement, but not SOS, for post-menopausal osteoporosis assessment.
Falgarone
Géraldine
G
Centre d'Evaluation des Maladies Osseuses, Institut de Rhumatologie, Hôpital Cochin, Université René Descartes, 27, rue du Faubourg St Jacques, 75014 Paris, France.
Porcher
Raphaël
R
Duché
Agnès
A
Kolta
Sami
S
Dougados
Maxime
M
Roux
Christian
C
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards