title: Abnormal bone quality in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a case-control study on 635 subjects and 269 normal controls with bone densitometry and quantitative ultrasound.
abstract: METHODS
  A case-control study comparing bone quality in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) with normal controls.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate bone quality with quantitative ultrasound (QUS) in AIS and normal controls so as to detect any derangement in bone quality among AIS subjects.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  AIS is characterized by complex spinal deformities. Despite its high prevalence and clinical impact in adolescents, etiology of AIS remains unknown but one possible mechanism is related to derangement of bony mechanical stability, as quantified by bone mineral density (BMD) and bone quality. AIS is known for its association with osteopenia, but little is known about the bone quality in AIS. With technological advancement, QUS can provide objective measurement of bone quality. In this study, we sought to compare bone quality in AIS with normal controls using QUS in addition to the conventional BMD measurement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred thirty-five AIS girls and 269 age-matched normal girls were investigated. Broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), velocity of sound (VOS), and stiffness index (SI) were measured over the nondominant calcaneus using QUS. The results were correlated with anthropometric measurement, radiologic assessment, and BMD of both hips.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The z-score of BMD at the femoral neck of AIS subjects (-0.47 ± 0.97) was significantly lower than that of normal controls (-0.12 ± 1.01, P < 0.001). Crude comparison showed that BUA, VOS, and SI of AIS group were 3.8% (P < 0.01), 0.5% (P = 0.042), and 6.9% (P < 0.01) lower than controls, respectively. After controlling confounding from maturity, body weight, body height, and BMD with multiple linear regression analysis for both mild (Cobb's angle ≤ 25°) and severe (Cobb's angle > 25°) curves, BUA and SI were found to be statistically significantly lower in AIS as compared with controls (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In addition to higher prevalence of osteopenia, AIS patients were also found to have deranged bone quality. These might contribute to the etiopathogenesis of spinal deformities in AIS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
authors.forename: Tsz Ping
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Vivian Wing Yin
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Hiu Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.forename: Yee Kit
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.forename: Winnie Chiu Wing
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Bobby Kin Wah
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Kwong Man
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Jack Chun Yiu
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D015519:Bone Density; D001842:Bone and Bones; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography