A novel ultrasound device for estimating bone mineral density at the 1/3 radius

Abstract

This study evaluated a new ultrasound device for estimating bone mineral density (BMD) at the 1/3 radius (1/3R), as well as investigated its ability to discriminate fracture (fx) and non-fx cases. The device measures two net time delay parameters, NTDDW and NTDCW. NTDDW is the difference between transit time of an ultrasound pulse through soft-tissue, cortex and medullary cavity, and transit time through soft tissue of equal distance. NTDCW is the difference between transit time of an ultrasound pulse through soft-tissue and cortex only, and transit time through soft tissue of equal distance. The square root of the product of these two parameters is a measure of BMD at the 1/3R as measured by DXA. A clinical IRB-approved study measured 77 adults using ultrasound and DXA. An age and sex-matched subset of these subjects was used to determine the capability of DXA and ultrasound to discriminate between fx and non-fx cases. A linear regression showed that BMDUS = 0.19 * {NTDDW * NTDCW}½ + 0.28 and that the li...