Bone Mineral Density And Bone Mineral Content Analysis In The Thoracolumbar Vertebrae And The Clinical Significance

Objective. To determine the regional variation of bone mineral density(BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in normal adult thoracolumbar vertebrae and investigate their significance in determining fracture modes and clinical therapy.Background Observe 86 thoracolumbar compress fracture we found thatthe fracture are usually at the upper semi part of the vertebrae. There are some kinds of research to explain this phenomena such as biomechanics studies. Most of the investigations are analysis the extrinsic factor but not the intrinsic factor. So some reports are investigate the intrinsic factor through determine the variation of bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in normal adult thoracolumbar vertebrae to explain this phenomena.Methods Observe 136 thoracolumbar lateral bone density graphs, including2 cases of T₁₁, 3 cases of T₁₂, 21 cases of L₁, 37 cases of L₂, 34 cases of L₃, 35 cases of L₄, 4 cases of L₅. The BMD and BMC of the vertebrae were determined. The upper and lower 1/2 transverse parts, the anterior and posterior 1/2 vertical parts and the whole BMD and BMC were measured by using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry as well. All the data were analyzed statistically.Result Within a vertebral body , the upper 1/2 transverse layer had lowerBMD and BMC readings than the lower 1/2 transverse layer. From the anterior 1/2 to the posterior 1/2, the BMD and BMC increased. For the motion unit around the disc, the BMD of upper semi part of vertebrae was higher than that of the lower semi part. Conclusion The regional variations in BMD and BMC within a vertebraand around a disc can explain why vertebral fractures are concentrated on the upper semi part of vertebrae. This understanding can use in determine of the bone graft region.