Prediction of bone mechanical properties using QUS and pQCT: study of the human distal radius.

Abstract The objective was to compare the prediction of bone mechanical properties provided by axial transmission to that provided by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) at the distal radius. The distal radius is the location for Colles’ fractures, a common osteoporosis related trauma situation. Measurements of the radial speed of sound were performed using three axial transmission devices: a commercial device (Sunlight Omnisense, 1.25 MHz), a bi-directional axial transmission prototype (1 MHz), both measuring the velocity of the first arriving signal (FAS), and a low frequency (200 kHz) device, measuring the velocity of a slower wave. Co-localized pQCT measurements of bone m…