Abstract
Article: Assessing Cortical Thickness in Human Tibiae With Sonography vs Computed Tomography: A Pilot Study
Authors: Sundus H. Mohammad, BS, RVT, Randee L. Hunter, PhD, Rachel L. Tatarski, MS, LAT, ATC, Angela N. Butwin, MS, RT(R), RDMS, and Kevin D. Evans, PhD, RT(R)(M)(BD), RDMS, RVS, FSDMS
Category: Musculoskeletal [MSK]
Credit: 1.0 SDMS CME Credit
Objectives: After studying the article entitled “Assessing Cortical Thickness in Human Tibiae With Sonography vs Computed Tomography: A Pilot Study,” you will be able to:
Compare the sensitivity of computed tomography (CT) versus diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) to assess the cortical thickness of long bones
Explain why comparable cortical thickness measurements using DMS and CT at 4% sites aligns DMS for bones with thin cortices and high risk of fragility fractures
Critique the rationale why the radius with a thin cortex may be a better site for future research based on the finding where the 4% sites in all DMS views yielded the most cortical thickness measurements
What percentage of changes affecting the whole-bone strength are directly caused by variations in bone mineral density (BMD)? A. <50% B. >56% C. >66% D. >79%
What is the main contributor to the loss of cortical thickness during adulthood? A. Higher rate of resorption on the endocortical surface B. Increased rate of bone formation on the periosteal surface C. Reduced rate of periosteal apposition D. Slow loss in the trabecular compartment
Which finding was significant in a study between pre- and postmenopausal females? A. 7% to 12% decrease in cortical thickness B. 8% to 19% decrease in trabecular thickness C. >20% increase in strain energy density D. 28% to 41% increase in cortical thickness
When scanning the tibiae, why were two sets of measurements taken at each region of interest? A. Determine depth of penetration through cortical bone B. Adjust the differences in acoustic impedance between bone and soft tissue C. To maximize the region of interest D. To obtain the maximum depth of pixels visualized believed to be the cortex
How did the depth scale setting for DMS affect image measurements? A. As image depth (/mm) increased, measurements of pixels/mm decreased B. The number of pixels/mm was increased, as image depth (mm) increased C. A depth scale was set after obtaining each region of interest on the image D. The first set “border” measurements contained the maximum pixel depth visualized
When evaluating the descriptive statistics across various sites and views, which of the following was a key finding? A. CT always yielded the smallest measurements B. CT and DMS full measurement values fell between DMS border measurements C. DMS full and DMS border measurements were different from each other D. Large measurement differences between CT and DMS were significantly different
Which statement is most accurate regarding the ultrasound pressure waves? A. Wave penetration resulted in DMS full measurements at 4% and 38% B. The anterior DMS full measurements were significantly larger than those from CT C. The ultrasound pressure waves created thinner anterior DMS full measurements compared to the medial and lateral portions D. The ultrasound pressure waves were unlikely to penetrate through the thick cortices in their entirety
Which of the following was a limitation of this research study? A. Sample size largely consisted of premenopausal age B. Sample size was largely Caucasian women C. Transducer footprint was too small to fit between bones D. A higher-frequency transducer created too much attenuation
Secondary osteoporosis in children and adolescents is thought to be associated with which of the following conditions? A. Obesity epidemic among youth B. Genetic bone abnormalities C. Diabetes D. Hypocortisolemia
Based on this research study, what summarizes the authors’ rationale and recommendation for future research? A. Create a larger data set of DMS and CT cortical measurement on a live population B. Repeat DMS/CT cortical thickness in tibiae on a male and female live population between the ages of 50 and 60 years C. Obtain large data set of DMS cortical measurements on the thin cortex of the radius, including segregation by age, race, and gender D. Initiate research on a pediatric population to obtain a large data set of DMS cortical measurements of the distal tibiae
Footnotes