Abstract
Both bone mass and quality are responsible for bone strength. Whereas bone mass is
measured with bone mineral density, quantification of bone quality is more complex
and involves bone architecture, texture, and mechanical parameters. Over the last
decade, significant progress has been made in developing technologies to measure bone
quality. These include novel low-cost modalities such as trabecular bone score measured
on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry images and quantitative ultrasound as well as
more advanced imaging modalities such as multidetector computed tomography, magnetic
resonance imaging, and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography.
We describe the reasons to measure bone quality and present the different modalities
currently used to quantify it. This article also summarizes the strengths and weaknesses
as well as the clinical feasibility of these technologies.
Keywords
osteoporosis - bone quality - bone mineral density - fragility fracture
