Trabecular bone micro-architecture and bone mineral density in adolescent idiopathic and congenital scoliosis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the microstructure of trabecular bone in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and age-matched congenital scoliosis (CS), and to evaluate the bone mineral status of CS patients compared with normal controls and AIS patients.


METHODS
This study included 15 AIS and 16 CS female patients and 35 healthy female adolescents. Corrective surgery was indicated for the AIS and CS patients, from whom iliac crest biopsies were collected during autograft harvesting, and scanned by micro-computer tomography. Bone mineral status was assessed at the lumbar and hip areas in every patient by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).


RESULTS
Significantly lower lumbar and femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) was found in AIS patient compared with normal controls. All BMD and bone mineral content (BMC) parameters were significantly lower in CS patients compared with age-matched normal controls. Under DEXA assessment significant associations between bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) and BMD values were observed. In the 3D model, BV/TV was significantly higher in AIS (19.9% ± 3.4%) than in CS (13.3% ± 3.0%, P < 0.05). Significant differences between AIS and CS were also found in trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) and bone surface/bone volume (BS/BV) (155.5 ± 54.9 µm vs. 108.1 ± 17.4 µm and 16.4% ± 3.3% vs. 22.0% ± 3.4% respectively, P < 0.05 in both).


CONCLUSIONS
Lower bone mineral status and weak trabecular bone structure observed in AIS and CS justify further investigation of the bone mineral status in scoliosis of various etiologies.
Department of Spinal Surgery, Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China. cnspine@hotmail.com
Feng
F
Zhu
Yong
Y
Qiu
Hiu Yan
HY
Yeung
Kwong Man
KM
Lee
Chun-yiu Jack
CY
Cheng
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D001706:Biopsy; D015519:Bone Density; D001848:Bone Diseases, Developmental / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult