Bone Imaging and Fracture Risk after Spinal Cord Injury.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by marked bone loss and an increased risk of fracture with high complication rate. Recent research based on advanced imaging analysis, including quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and patient-specific finite element (FE) modeling, has provided new and important insights into the magnitude and temporal pattern of bone loss, as well as the associated changes to bone structure and strength, following SCI. This work has illustrated the importance of early therapeutic treatment to prevent bone loss after SCI and may someday serve as the basis for a clinical fracture risk assessment tool for the SCI population. This review provides an update on the epidemiology of fracture after SCI and discusses new findings and significant developments related to bone loss and fracture risk assessment in the SCI population based on QCT analysis and patient-specific FE modeling.
Human Performance Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, and Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada, wbedward@ucalgary.ca.
W Brent
WB
Edwards
Thomas J
TJ
Schnitzer
D015519:Bone Density; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*