Comparison of high-resolution peripheral quantitative computerized tomography with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for measuring bone mineral density

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 71; no. 6; pp. 778 - 781
• Main Authors: Colt, E, Akram, M, Pi Sunyer, F X
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.06.2017; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/698/1671/1811; 692/700/1421/2025; Absorptiometry, Photon; Adolescent; Adult; Age; Arm; Body Height; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Bone Density; Bone mineral density; Bones; CAT scans; Clinical Nutrition; Comparative analysis; Computed tomography; Correlation coefficient; Correlation coefficients; Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Epidemiology; Female; High resolution; Humans; Internal Medicine; Leg; Measurement; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Methods; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Obesity; original-article; Premenopause - metabolism; Public Health; Radius; Radius - diagnostic imaging; Radius - ultrastructure; Tibia; Tibia - diagnostic imaging; Tibia - ultrastructure; Tomography; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Young Adult; New York; United States > US
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2016.178

Background/Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the measurement of areal bone mineral density (aBMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with the measurement of volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) by high-resolution peripheral computerized tomography (HR-pQCT) in subjects with a wide range of body mass indices (BMI). Subjects/Methods: We scanned the arms and legs of 49 premenopausal women, aged 21–45 years, with BMI from 18.5 to 46.5, by HR-pQCT and found that there was a nonsignificant change in vBMD associated with increased BMI, whereas aBMD (DXA) was associated with a positive significant increase. HR-pQCT scans a slice at the extremity of the tibia and radius, whereas DXA scans the entire leg and arm. Results: The correlation coefficients ( r ) of BMD (DXA) of the legs with BMI were 0.552, P <0.001, with %fat it was 0.378, P <0.01 and with W it was 0.633, P <0.001. The r of BMD (DXA) of the arms with BMI was 0.804, P <0.001, with %fat it was 0.599, P <0.001 and with W it was 0.831, P <0.001, whereas the r of the average bone density (D100) of legs and arms measured by HR-pQCT with BMI, W and %fat were not significant. Conclusions: Although HR-pQCT and DXA scan different parts of the bone, the high r of BMD with BMI and low r of bone density measured by HR-pQCT with BMI suggest that BMD measured by DXA is artifactually increased in the presence of obesity.