Assessment of Vertebral Bone Mineral Density Using Volumetric Quantitative CT

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Abstract
The purpose of this work was to determine the precision and diagnostic efficacy of bone mineral density (BMD) measures based on volumetric quantitative CT (QCT) of the spine. Volumetric CT scans of L1 and L2 (GE-9800Q; 80 kVp, 140 mAs, 3 mm slices) were acquired in a cohort of 62 osteoporotic women (mean age 70.4 years, TDXA hip or spine Volumetric trabecular BMD showed higher precision (1.3%) than the synthesized single-slice measures (2.1-2.8%). Volumetric and single-slice trabecular BMD showed equivalent decrements between fractured and nonfractured subjects (17-19%), with integral BMD showing smaller and less significant differences (7-8%). Volumetric and single-slice QCT techniques are equivalent for vertebral fracture risk estimation, but volumetric techniques should be superior for monitoring therapy efficacy.