In this in vivo study, correlations of lumbar and femoral bone mineral densities (BMDs) with calcaneal speed of sound (SOS) were investigated in 36 osteoporotic women. Areal BMDs of the L2-L4 lumbar spine and the right femoral neck were measured by us...
In this in vivo study, correlations of lumbar and femoral bone mineral densities (BMDs) with calcaneal speed of sound (SOS) were investigated in 36 osteoporotic women. Areal BMDs of the L2-L4 lumbar spine and the right femoral neck were measured by using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). SOS of the right calcaneus was measured by using ultrasound bone densitometry. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) and level of significance (p) were used to evaluate the correlations between measurements. Lumbar BMD was highly correlated with femoral BMD (r=0.81). Lumbar and femoral BMDs exhibited similar comparable negative correlations with age (r=-0.52 and r=-0.55). A moderate negative correlation was found between calcaneal SOS and age (r=-0.45). Calcaneal SOS was significantly correlated with lumbar and femoral BMDs, with a higher correlation with femoral BMD rather than with lumbar BMD (r=0.54 and r=0.62). However, calcaneal SOS may not be an optimum index for the estimation of BMD of the most important fracture sites, such as the lumbar and the femur, because it showed lower correlations with lumbar and femoral BMDs compared to that with calcaneal BMD. Therefore, the development of a quantitative ultrasound technology for the direct measurement of acoustic properties at the lumbar and the femur is required to estimate BMD of these sites more accurately.