Correlations among MRI-based cervical and thoracic vertebral bone quality score, CT-based Hounsfield Unit score, and DEXA t-score in assessment of bone mineral density.

BACKGROUND: Further optimization of the validated vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may expand its clinical utility for bone mineral density (BMD) assessment. This study evaluated the correlations among cervical and thoracic VBQ scores, the validated Hounsfield Unit (HU) measured on computed tomography (CT), and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) values. METHODS: We retrieved the medical and radiographic records of 165 patients who underwent synchronous MRI of the cervical and thoracic spine, as well as DEXA and CT imaging of the spine obtained within 1 year of each other between 2015 and 2022. Radiographic data consisted of the MRI-based cervical and thoracic VBQ scores, CT-based HU, and DEXA T-scores of the spine and hip. Patient age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and ethnicity were also obtained. RESULTS: Mean cervical and thoracic VBQ scores were 3.99 ± 1.68 and 3.82 ± 2.11, respectively. Mean HU and DEXA T-scores of the spine and hip were 135.75 ± 60.36, -1.01 ± 1.15, and -0.47 ± 2.27. All correlations among VBQ, HU, and DEXA were insignificant except for weak correlations between cervical and thoracic VBQ, and cervical VBQ and HU. No correlations were observed between radiographic scores and patient age or BMI. No differences based on ethnicity or sex were observed with respect to cervical or thoracic VBQ, HU, or DEXA. CONCLUSION: Cervical and thoracic VBQ scores are distinct from Hounsfield Unit and DEXA values. VBQ scoring in the cervical and thoracic spine is not influenced by patient age, ethnicity, sex, or BMI.

Duke Scholars

Author Olumide Ayodele Danisa Orthopaedic Surgery